Unwritten
by Eagleflame
Summary: Trapped on the Bionis after a mission goes wrong, an obsolete Core Unit must learn to face both his nightmares and his host's friends as they work to get back to the Mechonis to save his life. As they travel, they meet new and familiar allies, and they grow in ways they never imagined as they work to unwrite the past.
1. Your Job is Very Important

**Spoiler warning from the beginning. I am making this fanfiction as accurate to canon as it can be, so** **please,** **let me know if there are any inconsistencies or mistakes that I did not catch. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy another perspective of** ** _Xenoblade Chronicles_** **.**

My eyes snap wide awake. My chest heaves, as if I'd just gotten sick.

I listen to the rhythm of my heart. It thumps as frantically as it did the last time I was awake. Some days I wonder if it has a personality of its own—every inconsistent hammer another attempt to press through life. But the more I listen to it, the more I realize that this heart has shaken off its funny quirk.

With an exhale, I lower myself back into my seat. The interior of the Faced Mechon hums and pulsates beneath me, every pump of my blood through her veins echoing like ghostly whispers. She's once again alive.

"Sung?" I jump at the muffled voice.

As I stretch in the space around me, the tubes connected across my body wildly bounce, then snap back into their hidey holes. I shiver. "Vanea?" I swallow hard and mutter something under my breath. My voice sounds terrible.

The hatch pulls open, revealing the slender Machina, who stares me down with those lonely red eyes of hers. I wince at the flood of light that has entered the cockpit. "Egil has a job for you…" She pauses. A somewhat-guilty look crosses her face as her irises dart across my frame. "Do you…feel alright? Are you fully conscious?" Her typical questions.

"I…" I brush some stray hairs to the side, then frown at how coarse it feels under my fingers. "…I'm fine, Vanea," I reply. My head hits the Face pilot seat. "Ugh. I feel like I've been asleep for years… Uh," Pulling myself up, I gaze down at her in curiosity. "why does he still want me? After last time…I assumed…" I look away, and my eyes catch my reflection on the walls of the Faced Mechon. Pursing my lips, I turn back toward the Machina, and my gaze is less curious and more curt.

"Well—," She hesitates, then extends out her hand to me. I take it and step down from the Face. The Machina pulls me close to her in a warm hug despite my animosity—or maybe that was purposeful on her part. Either way, it feels good. "I'll let Egil do the talking. Besides," she says with a smile, "we have new Core Units we want you to meet."

I freeze. "W-what?"

"They'll look a little different from you, but Egil is going to do some updating on your hardware."

I don't pay any attention.

* * *

As we rematerialize from the transporter and Vanea leads me up to the Meyneth Shrine, I stumble, then right myself and rub my legs. They're prosthetics save for my upper thighs, which burn like ether with a vengeance.

"Sung," Egil says. I hasten over to the group, standing together at the core of Agniratha, then glance around. Vanea takes her place behind me. There are three Homs males and the Machina, who towers above all of them. I remember many little impromptu meetings in this place—times when Egil needed to be brief. However, based on Egil's twisted expression as he glares at me, he isn't remembering them as fondly as I am.

His red stare flicks down to my chest before returning to look me in the eyes. "This is Xord, Mumkhar—" His bold voice rings in my ears. "—and _Gadolt_ , our newest Core Unit. The others have no jobs of relative importance, so I'd prefer to keep this meeting among the strongest." I follow his hand as he gestures to the men. The larger of the two Face pilots, Xord, is a hulking, muscular Homs with copper armor and shoulders the width of Alcamoth. His eyes glint as if menacing, though his kind grin lights his expression in joy. The other, Mumkhar, has the name to go with the dark aura around him. He finally twitches his mouth into a smile that practically drips with slime. He keeps glancing at Xord, as if agitated over something.

"Finally, number one awakens!" Xord says with a dynamic laugh. "What emerged from Nemesis was…" He bangs his hands on his armor in a drumroll, but one look from Egil cuts him like a sword and stills him.

Mumkhar scowls by the man's side, but he seems more bothered than anything.

The "Gadolt" Homs only smiles, knitting his fingers behind his back. His jade armor gleams orange in the light. "I think Xord deserves to have some catharsis every one in a while," he says. "He can't exactly control it anymore." His tone has an accusatory sound to it, but he masks it with a stiff smile. He impresses me as a Homs who is cool under pressure—not at all like an…

I look down at my hands.

… _old friend_.

"We are not here to soothe the blacksmith, no matter his _damage_ ," Egil replies, annoyance in his voice. I glance back up as he replies. "With any experiment, there are mistakes." Gadolt exhales, eyebrows twitching down in anger as his hands clench together. Oh, well, I suppose he's not.

"We are here to discuss positions in my new plan." He clasps his hands together while Vanea only glances away. "Meet Sung, our first success."

"Albeit, accidentally," I mutter.

"Oh, goody!" Mumkhar remarks. "The favorite child!"

Vanea purses her lips in a hidden look of pride.

"He doesn't have much more use," Egil's coy reply, his eyes locked onto Vanea's, causes Mumkhar to erupt into a fit of laughter. I grimace at the Machina's words. "but he's got his purposes."

Surprisingly, it's Gadolt who speaks up, though he glares nonetheless at his comrade. "Purposes? What purposes besides being into storage for five years?"

 _F-five years?!_

"He had a use at one point," Egil replies, casting a glare toward the Core Unit. "and while today he is obsolete—getting back to the task at hand—I do have roles for each of you, _including_ Sung."

The other pilots fall silent as they look toward the dominant Machina. Xord's eyes, however, wander to me, and his face contorts as if thinking of something. Then his mouth gapes, and so does mine, though I'm not sure where I've seen him before.

 _Xord was…turned into a Mechon…? And Mumkhar too?!_ _Well, he kinda had it coming._

"Xord!" He jumps, then cracks a sickened, insane grin. "Go down to the ether mines beneath Colony 6 and make sure our Mechon are doing what they should be doing."

Xord only groans in reply. "Awwww, really?" Then he sniggers and again looks toward me.

"Yes," Egil replies. "Gadolt, I need you to—"

"Egil," Vanea cuts in. He stops, looks up at her. "Perhaps we should see how these new ones function before deploying them all."

Gadolt nods slowly, his eyes not quite meeting Egil's.

"Fine. You'll meet Vanea once this meeting is over."

"What about me?" Mumkhar says with a scoff. "Will I be shoved aside like ol' Gadolt here, too?"

The Machina's response is distracted, to say the least. "You'll be in Tephra Cave, a cave system near Colony 9—I need you to remain sentinel there. Homs can easily traverse the caverns." Egil, as he says this, looks briefly at the large statue of Meyneth, dimmed grey. With a grunt, Mumkhar remains hatefully silent, a fury pounding in his eyes. He should be grateful for such a task. The ether mines is a simple location to be in, especially for a pilot who has been rendered obsolete and has failed the test of time.

A frown touches my lips.

"And Sung…" He stops, as if musing over what to say. Then: "Attack Colony 9."

—!

My head snaps upward, and a stammer buzzes in my throat. Gadolt throws me a terrified expression. "Y-you can't. You can't," is all I can force out of my mouth. "You said that I was—"

Egil scowls. "I said that _you_ were obsolete; I didn't say your Face was. _You_ are not needed for this mission, _Face Nemesis_ is needed for this mission. Vanea's been updating her over the years while you've been out of commission."

"Oh," I reply in a small voice.

"So you've be able to control her after your extended shutdown, correct?" His silence, accusing me, burning into my chest and terrifying me deep inside, forces a nod out of me before I even realize what I just did. Vanea shoots me a muted look that screams, "I'll help you again."

 _Please do_ , I look back. My hands clench at my sides. Oh, please, please do.


	2. To Put Aside Your Dreams and Resolve

As everyone begins to shuffle out—Gadolt trying to make small talk with Mumkhar, who could not smile genuinely to save his soul—I head out to follow them.

Xord grabs my arm and twists me back around, his eyes bright and electric with something he desperately wants to say. But then he falters, and he only rubs his scruffy black hair. "You seem familiar t' me," he says in a cockney accent that's so rough I can't understand where he could have picked it up. Yet it sounds… "Not like I remember anymore!"

A jolting sensation lurches in my chest. " _You made me a sword once_ ," I reply, "in your forge. It was several years ago. You wanted me to be able to protect my friend."

As he vacantly smiles, I blink and shake my head.

So this one is more eager to speak, I see.

"It's a pity he turned you so young!" Xord remarks, shaking his head in humor as he walks out. I hear, in the distance, Mumkhar commenting to him about something or another—something about some battle of Sword Valley, not like there has ever been any battle in Sword Valley, Sword Valley is just as desolate as it has always been. I go to join them, perhaps correct them, but a voice stops me.

"Sung."

I turn around and cock my head. "S-sir?"

Egil gestures for me to stay; I hastily comply.

"You do understand the details of your mission?" He glances off, as if in distain over the current shape I'm in.

My mouth clenches up. "Yes, I do. Being shut down for a few years hasn't corroded my mind, Egil." I shift where I stand, then snort. "Everyone else seems to think so."

"No, you are just obsolete. There's a difference." He hesitates. "You have to remain in your Face for this mission. I cannot have you speaking or making any movements that will betray that you are a Homs."

I move in a little closer to him. Vanea remains statuesque by his side, totally unflinching except to throw a guilty look toward the Meyneth shrine. "Why?" I ask. "Why attack the Homs? What do you have against them, I don't care about them, it's _Zanza_ who did every—!"

He holds up a hand, and I recoil. "Homs are the creations of Zanza. Therefore, we must treat them as enemies, as Zanza can control all of them," Egil says, voice jumping up in volume. "The Homs have found the Monado. As long as they have that, anything is left as possible."

They've finally…?!

"Then it's happening." I can't control the shiver in my voice, though I hope Egil doesn't notice.

Vanea glances at her brother, presses her lips together. Egil only smirks in that calculating way, as if he's working some design in his mind that he knows is just perfect—either that, or laughing about his own personal joke. He, as if remembering that I'm still here, jerks ever so slightly and turns back to me. "Not if I have anything to do about it. I would prefer we don't _kill_ them, as I have said to the others before you arrived, merely," A smile touches his face. "eat them."

I only stare. Vanea stammers something and extends out a hand, finally breaking from her position next to her brother. "No, just take them hostage. As long as we can make more Faced Mechon, it's an advantage for us. Egil just has a sense of humor." Her tone is absolute deadpan.

That make a small, short laugh burst from Egil's lips, like an adolescent trying not to show his childlike side. It's short lived, but it makes me giggle nonetheless.

"It is great to see you awake again." His soft expression reminds me of the old Egil. The worry eating at me lightens a bit. "I wish I could have expressed sentiment earlier, but difficult situations called for difficult solutions. A pity Xord recognized you," he notes in distain.

"He seemed too destroyed to recognize me," I reply, "though with this body, who can tell?"

Vanea says, "He was not the first to be damaged by the modifications, but he seems to take well to playing the role Egil needs him to." The way she speaks of him, it is as if she pities the Homs.

"The Ether Mines will be a good place for Xord," Egil says to her. "As long as he does not try anything reckless, he should remain out of sight. His pathetic drive to succeed should not be wasted, whether that is accompanied by a stable mind or not." He pauses, silent for a moment. "You worry about their memories."

"It is not Xord I am worried about. The Gadolt one seems hindered," Vanea replies. "So does Mumkhar."

"Your judgement is probably correct on 20814. However, I want to see how the other acts; he has yet to protest to the modifications."

Vanea glances down into Agniratha. "He is too old to adapt so fast—his zealousness could cause us problems."

"I'll wait and see," he dismisses. "Regardless of our new Core Units, we at least need not worry about you, do we, Sung?"

I look up at his question. "Uh, no. No, of course not. I just didn't expect more like me."

"A temporary solution to counteract the Monado. The Homs blood will repel it until its chains are released. We are so close, Vanea."

"Yes," she replies softly, "close."

Shifting in my spot, I think of the last time I was here. Egil's last impromptu meeting with only me. "To be honest, I'm surprised I was awoken at all. I would have understood, but I'm glad you didn't decide to scrap me, Egil."

Egil is like a big brother to me—always watching out, never letting any of his small circle of "family" get hurt; I guess this extends to all his Faces. Vanea's the same way. They took care of me when I needed help, and I feel I owe them quite a lot.

"That would have been a waste of good parts. Your previous ones have been hinderances, but from what Vanea informs me, this time it will be worth the effort. Then again, maybe someday I'll make a Mechon out of you yet," Egil adds with a slight smirk. "Perhaps an M63X Android Unit, sleek, well-balanced, and precise."

Vanea leans in toward him and murmurs something into his ear, gesturing a long finger at me. "I needed to…so he felt more comfortable…"

Egil sharply nods and pulls away. "We'll give you some modifications, Sung, but after the attack on Colony 9. Unfortunately, time is the one spare part we're short on. The faster we deal with this final colony, the faster the Homs will be eradicated, and the slower Zanza has to revive. My sister will help you get ready, and I can only pray that your pilot-prowess blood wasn't lost in the accident."

I chuckle, only to have it fade as quickly as it leaves my mouth. "I believe the only blood I lost then was my courage, Egil."

* * *

Vanea glances at me as we walk down the halls of Central Factory. Busy Mechon scurry around our feet, and the Majestic Mordred thunders at our side. Despite I knowing her baleful attitude toward us, the sounds and her sheer size still gives me shivers.

"You have to be the most loyal Core Unit Egil has," Vanea says abruptly.

I trip and look up at her. "Hm? Really? The others looked so much stronger, I'd assume they were more…"

"Age and strength are the nemesis of loyalty," she replies. "They have already established their lives on the Bionis. Most do not take too well to being ripped out of their roots."

"Oh." A thought crosses my mind. "W-when did you make these newest ones…?"

She lifts her gaze to the vaulted ceilings, miles above us, and gets a distant look on her face. A flashing machine pulsates at the top, its red lights glowing like the veins of a Face Mechon. I don't recognize it. I don't seem to recognize a lot any more. "The Battle of Sword Valley, roughly around a year ago. We had several Homs that the others abandoned on our sword after they fell back. They wound up not being quite as _dead_ as we thought they were, so Egil decided to…fix them," she says with a careful infliction, "the way we fixed you."

I stumble again. Vanea is quick to catch me. Blinking in confusion, I kick my leg out and bluster a sigh as it moves completely normally, the heel catching and sputtering on the smooth metal flooring. Lifting my head to meet her widened eyes, I fumble my lips into an apology and straighten. Gah… I can't wait until—

That twisting feeling occurs again, as if it's squeezing my soul and throwing it aside like an unwanted object. I bang hard on my chest to clear the discomfort, and it soon fades. Swallowing hard, I start forward again. The Machina follows with her usual brisk stride, but falls back into line with me. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I feel bad," I admit. "I have to decimate their colony."

"It's a necessary task." She pauses. "They are starting to affect you, are they not?"

"Starting to? Ha! Now you sound like Egil," I reply. Turning to her, I give her an odd look. "Do you really believe that? What his plan is, I mean."

"I believe a lot, Sung," Vanea replies in a sad tone, "but what Egil believes is far more twisted around his own demons."

A heavy silence falls around us. Then she exhales, and I only look down.

"Sung," Vanea starts. I blink and shake my head.

"What is it?"

"Please, do not battle him."

I stare at her. "What?"

"Sung, it is happening, you know why you were put away into storage."

"I really don't," I reply coldly as I turn away.

"I think you do."

"Why do you bring this up now?" I ask, tipping my head so it is like I'm speaking to the smog-filled air. "That was, what, five years ago? You promised." My tone is accusatory, but it shakes. "You promised not to do that again."

"I am sorry, I had no choice, your injuries—"

"I have worked through worse!" I shout.

The Machina's heels click on the floor as she walks around me. She stops at my side. "Even a head injury? You fell unconscious after the crash. This is the first time you've been awoken since then, and I do not want you pushing yourself to the point of a breakdown!" Slush floods my body at her raised voice. She never yells, not normally. I don't know what I did wrong. "You know what happens when you do that."

 _"_ _You're such a control freak, Sung."_

"Did he finally die?" I ask, trying not to look at her.

"I will not answer that question lest you not destroy again."

"I don't hate him, I'm just curious."

"Try being courteous next time." Vanea begins to stride off, and I hasten to follow her. "Face Nemesis has already been prepared. Do not force this one too far." As she speaks, she brushes her hand against my shoulder blades. "He's frightened."

I jerk away from her. "I'll try. How's that?"

"Good enough," she murmurs.

* * *

The interior of my Face Mechon feels warm, as if it is breathing around me like the Bionis used to breathe. In and out, slowly, steadily. Its assuring pattern brought a comfort in the back of my mind when I was younger, when my father taught me how to connect to it, hear it.

Though I haven't heard it in years.

As I get myself seated, the transparent wires attack my body as they burrow into the inscrutable holes in the armor. Relief floods though my veins along with my excess blood. How can anyone tolerate being outside their Face for long periods of time? How can anyone tolerate living without a Face at all? Maybe it's just me being too used to this for my own good.

Vanea smiles to me from the cockpit hole, and it closes to this smile. With the sudden darkness of the Face, I jump a little and exhale in frustration, then focus on the control panel: a dull orange plane presented in front of me. Its circular hand controls twist and turn as if with a mind of its own, clicking like a clock. _Hurry up,_ it seems to say, _see what I can do now._

I dart a hand out to activate the machine, then place my fingers confidently into the circles. The glowing panel casts a deep, bright light and eases the terror of night from my mind. Yet another remnant, it's quite bothersome. How my mother scoffs at such fears.

The exterior of Nemesis thumps—Vanea's way of letting me know she's ready—and I turn on the vocal functions.

"Okay, Vanea. I think I have it…?" My voice trails off in sheer doubt, which baffles me. "The controls are starting to come back to me now." A small laugh escapes me. "I can't believe I forgot them."

"You have it? All right, Sung, just let me know if any of them are unfamiliar to you."

I throw on the video feed. Vanea nods in the cross-haired screen presented to me, then steps back and folds her arms.

Pressing my lips together, I turn off the vocal projection—Egil's threatening words coming to mind. "You're such a mother to me, Vanea." A sigh escapes me as I lean back. "I wish I could stay here with you." I wish I could always just stay here with the only family I have left and quietly slip away.


	3. For a Path That Will Not Be Easy

"Hello, _Nemesis_!"

I stop flicking controls on the warm orange console and pause, letting the Homs' transmission sink in for a moment. As I answer, I keep up the flight of Nemesis with each precise twist of my hand—controlling a Face is an art I lust for. It relaxes me and distracts me from…flying memories. They never keep still.

"Hello," I glance at his tag, then only sigh. "Metal Face." It sounds like Mumkhar, though over the comm, I'm not entirely sure. But who else would call me but that neurotic Xord, and he didn't seem sound enough to even think it!

Nemesis skims the surface before lifting back up with a spin. The sea between the two titans floods my viewscreen in all its brilliance, its surface cresting with white caps and a glint of sparkles. A small smile touches my lips at the sight.

"You should meet me at Tephra Cave, it's right on the way to Colony 9," he says a bit too suspiciously.

"Why?"

" _Well_ ," he stammers, as if trying to make up something good.

I grin. "Yeah, right, Metal Face, like I'm ever going to believe that."

"Me and the other Faces, we wanted to meet you." He hesitates, as if hating to admit something.

"They're called Core Units." I'm getting sick of correcting the new Units already, and I've just gotten started.

"Yeah, whatever. That glorified Mechon is forcing us to do this. But since Xord's a little unstrung and Gadolt's still being _tweaked_ ," He says this as if he's biting his cheek. "I'm the first one you can get acquainted with," Metal Face says.

"Why can't you meet me on Kneecap Hill?" I reply, glancing at the map of the Bionis' leg. "That way, I don't have to appease your location, and you don't have to appease mine. We'll meet in the middle; after all, it's only fair, and it'll be much easier with our Faces."

Metal Face grumbles. "If I can fit my Face down in Tephra Cave, so can you!"

"Fine," I snap back, "I'll meet you down there. Where, exactly?" My voice turns cold. Reluctantly, I swap out the Colony 9 map for one of Tephra Cave with quick motions of my right hand, my left still steady on the controls.

"Vilia Cave. The prettiest place _in_ all of Bionis, and I mean that literately, hah!"

"Okay," If your tastes in beautiful locations really are that bland. "Call me Sung, Mumkhar," I monotone, focusing on piloting the Face _like how I should_ , Mumkhar! "Everyone else does."

Metal Face cackles over the intercom, and his tone turns mocking. "Does Sung sing?"

With no more effort to humor the Homs, I reply with an automatic, "No."

"What a pity. I was hoping to hear some music from you."

* * *

I glance around the darkness of Tephra Cave, my breathing hoarse and my head swimming. _I feel so lightheaded… I hate being away from Nemesis… The Heavenly Window was a good place to put her, though I'll be dreading going back through the Bone Corridor again._

Shrugging, I continue forward, passing Arachno underfoot. One tentatively reaches up a leg and touches mine, and I jerk away in surprise. "What—?"

"Oh, Sung~!" Mumkhar's coarse voice rings in my ears, and I grit my teeth as Vilia Cave comes into full view. Its numerous stone pillars reach up to a walkway high above the ground, and blue-green water soothingly licks the shoreline as if hungry for the rock. The Homs man waves an arm at the lake edge, then laughs. "There you are! I was wondering what kept you!"

With a growl, I stalk over to him. I pass underneath the rocky overhang of some upper path and make it over to the water. "What is it? I have to get to Colony 9, and I'd rather not come through the front entrance. Do you know how stupid that'll be?"

He only shrugs and lowers his hand. A calculating smile breaks out across his face, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "Nothing much, I just figured we should…" Another careless shrug. "You know, get to know you more, and since I'm _bored_ ," Mumkhar says, rolling his eyes. "It's not like there's anything to do here!"

"Look," I reply, moving up the pale shore to observe some Tephra Lizard wandering around by my boots, "that's wonderful, but I don't have the time for—"

"Listen…" The Homs takes a step forward. I immediately back up as his breath, hot and mildewy—as if dead—hits my face. "That's what this is all about, see? Colony 9."

"Oh, is that your colony?" I ask with a sneer. "I apologize in advance, but Egil trusts me to complete my mission just as he trusts you to complete yours."

"Look, I'll get right to it." I lift my head from watching the tiny lizards, my interest piqued. "Tephra Cave is a waste of my time!"

"Oh, don't I know it, why don't you waste everyone else's time while you're at it, Mumkhar?"

The Homs only gets more annoyed. "I wanted this body to finish what I started, and I will gladly bask in your screams to get to the Monado!" He slashes his claws in the air in front of us, and I stumble away from him. Terror flashes in my head. " _Make some music for me, Sung_!"

Claws flash, pain blows up, and suddenly, I'm flying forward. I scream as I land hard on the rocky ground of the cavern. With a grunt, I try to crawl backward, but something glints in my eyes—Mumkhar's bagh naka, right beside my face. I freeze.

Mumkhar looks down at me with a murderous expression twisting his features. A hand slams onto my forearm. "Care to swap jobs with me?"

I gasp out a pathetic response, but in my defense, it's really the only thing I could think to say. "No, let go!"

His smile leers. "Sorry, but I have some personal baggage that I hafta take care of!"

Gasping, I kick out, hitting his jawbone with the thick metal in my knee. I scramble to my feet as his midnight-blue chin snaps upward and his hand releases me. My unfocused gaze goes to the hole in the cavern wall ahead of me, where Nemesis is.

A screech echoes, and I crash to the ground as fire flares up around my ankles. I manage to crawl forward before being stabbed again to the ground.

A sharp _crack_ splinters the air.

My throat burns with a shriek I've never heard myself make before. If I was insane, I'd say that I wasn't the only one screaming.

Something hot begins to roll down my numb shoulder, and I fight to keep moving. My body writhes under Mumkhar's fist against the small of my back. Gritting my teeth, I force my right arm to the front—only to see it covered with crimson.

My chest freezes. I wheeze out a thin cry.

A second voice in my head _won't stop sobbing_!

Mumkhar yanks his claws from my back, and I twist my head to see his glowing red claws, their lights arcing with every whip of his body. Rage burns through me. He doesn't deserve that body.

" _Mumkhar_!"

With one last swipe of his claws, the rocks collapse from the ceiling. I wail something out and duck my head underneath my good arm. The cave is suddenly very dark.

The Homs' voice is taunting ahead of me. I glance up and see those bloody claws just as a bead of my substance rolls down them. Mumkhar bends down to chortle. "You'll be dead before Egil can find you again!"

I grab at his ankle and grind my teeth as I yank him back. His metal body crashes to the ground, his foot nearly hitting my nose.

"Wha—?! Let go, let go!"

"If I'm going down," I manage out, "you're going down with me!"

 _What are you doing, what are you doing, that's Mumkhar, you don't mess with Mumkhar of all Homs! You curb your mouth around him!_

"Never let a child do a man's job, Egil!" I pause at Mumkhar's declaration to _Egil_ , of all people. "I should have been the one to attack Colony 9, the honor is all mine!" His slasher smile flashes—

—a hand comes out—


	4. For a Goal Perhaps Far Off

Static crackles in my ears. With a gasping cough, I try to clear the dirt in my lungs, but they remain tight and constricting, making it hard to breathe. It's dark where I'm at—the light from Vilia Lake is gone.

How long has it been since I blacked out…?

I hold my head and glance around. Stray Arachno scurry across the rock, the noise of their legs tapping and rapping around me before disappearing into the distance. The lights from my eyes and my chest barely illuminate my surroundings, but it's enough—thankfully—for me to see that I'm still on the path to the Bone Corridor. If I just continue on, I can make my way to Nemesis and escape.

I glance down at the green aura buzzing around my chest; the metal plate it's emanating from has claw marks gorged into it. Panic begins to replace my terror of the dark. But then my lights flicker out completely, leaving me alone with just the weighty black and my fears to keep me company.

"Oh no," I whimper. "No, no…" I try to keep from crying as all I can hear are the sounds of Arachno tapping on the rock. Holding my ears, I begin to rock back and forth. "Why am I here…?"

Another voice whispers in my ears. _It's scarred._

Screaming jerks me out of my exhaustion, and I whip my head around to find the source of the noise; I hope it wasn't the spiders. If they start making that sound, then I might as well break down now.

A Homs sprints toward me, tripping on my feet and letting out a shout as he crashes down on top of me. I scream myself and try to back away, only to be stopped by my burning arm and the rock pile behind me. The stones _screech_ against my back.

He groans as he sits up. "Augh, it's a dead end!" As his large eyes move away from the rocks, our stares lock, and the Homs looks confused—then alarmed. "Get outta here, what are you thinkin', playing in Tephra Cave?! Augh, did your cousin put you up to this again?" As I grab my right shoulder in pain, he notices, and a dark look crosses his face. "Oi, and you're injured, too!"

I grit my teeth. "So what about it?!"

"I know someone who can help," he says, looking oddly hopeful. I only pull my legs up and bury my head into them. "But right now I gotta get outta here, so just stay here! I'll come back, I swear."

"W-wait, what's your name?"

I squint in the darkness. Is that Reyn? I don't know, I can't tell.

He glances behind him. His expression drops back to a dark look. "Reyn. Ah man, you must have really hit your head this time…" He pauses, as if unsure of what to do. "Stay here! I'll—" What sounds like a landslide of clatters cut him off. Reyn mutters to himself, holds his forehead, and throws me a driver. "Some Colony 6 traders carried them, I didn't wanna take one, but—… Just stay here, stay here, we'll come back for you! You won't even get a scratch!"

Before I can say anything in reply, he bolts away. I pull the metal weapon close to me and try to steady my breathing. My throat jumps as tears begin to fall. "No, please don't go…"

* * *

"Reyn, Reyn, hang on, I'm coming!" A boy's shrieks cause me to wake up and glance in the direction of Vilia Lake. Then I look toward the winding cave ahead, its walls beginning to close in on me. I shut my eyes. I can feel my body shaking.

I'm so tired…

* * *

The spiders begin returning to the cave, first in a few pairs, then in droves. The air they protrude is one of disappointment, and as I see them, I'm disappointed as well: Reyn never came back. I shouldn't have risked my hope on his vapid promise. I remember when my brother once asked him if he'd help us out when Mayni got her foot stuck in between some rocks. He never showed, and his friend Shulk came instead to get Mayni free. Two hours later.

I scoff. What an idiot I am—I should have remembered that.

One Arachno heads over to me, extending out a leg and prodding me gently. I can only blink, shock muting me. I move my mouth, then finally choke out, "That hurts." It shifts back a little and tries again, this time in my exposed, hollow gut and metal-sheathed spine. Its touch sends a white-hot scald through it, and I gasp. I can feel _that_. "Stop it." It barely reacts to my snap. Tapping its legs in impatience, the spider suddenly lunges toward me; I wail and try to move away, but my body burns with exhaustion, and all I manage is to collapse onto my side. I twist around to be on my back, and I can barely do that.

It stops at my chest, tucking its legs underneath its bulbous, hairy body and merely sitting there like my cousin's pet Bunniv Momma gave him from her and Dad's travels. "What are you doing?" I ask out loud. My voice trembles. It says nothing in reply—unsurprisingly and _thankfully_. "Go away, g-go away!"

It stands, as if indignant, and shakes itself before slowly threading its silk around my legs.

A panicked shout barks from me. "W-what are you doing, stop it! Go away, get off, _get off_!" I shriek. The Arachno snaps its head upward. Its lonely gaze glints in the darkness.

The others around me begin to move now, all climbing and clambering over me. I try to move, but the weight of t-ten? Arachno hold me to the ground. Their silk pins my bad arm to my chest, making it burn and throb. I struggle against them, but the sticky thread just clings to everything and makes it impossible to move.

My cry cuts out as one of them stares at me, forcing its face into mine, its eyes like an enraged Piranhax with no reserves about killing you. Its high-pitched scream cuts into ringing, and I flinch away. All I can do is whimper.

I can't hear—

The clan of Tephra Cave smothers me, pinning me down and sealing my mouth. I attempt to scream, but the silk only stretches with the hinge motion. I choke out a gag when it tangles around my tongue. My left hand twitches toward my driver, trapped against my side, for protection.

One Arachno plants a leg on my face and twists my head to the side, its eyes staring daggers at me. In their depths was an empty hunger—I bet they see me as their food.

It abruptly slams the leg down hard at my temple, and my head hits the rocky floor. My body feels plunged in a wash of numbness. I see spots before my eyesight disappears completely in a cocoon of thread.


	5. Is a Challenge You Have to Meet

_I cry out and grab at whatever's nearest to me—which was Vanea's thin hair, pulled into strands that framed her face in a girlish innocence._

 _She stiffens and pulls away, dropping her hands from my wrist. "How are you feeling?" she asks, her tone carefully inflicted._

 _Blinking in confusion, I glance at her, then I take in my surroundings. I'm in a small room, cylindrical in shape and dreary. Only one ether gear glows beside me, cutting through the darkness. As soon as I see it, my chest slows down its anxious heaving. It's a silly fear, I know, my das always told me I shouldn't be afraid of the night, but I don't know what could be in there._

 _Anything could be there._

 _"_ _We're on the fallen arm. Linada repaired you." Her smile is serene, reassuring. "This is Rizaka's home. I'm so glad you're awake now." She stiffens her shoulders. Whenever she speaks in short sentences, something is bothering her. Well, I guess, according to that insufferable— "I have to fix Nemesis, so it might take a while before you're able to go back to Agniratha."_

 _"_ _Mm-hm," I reply absentmindedly._

 _"_ _While you're here, enjoy yourself for a…" Vanea's voice firms up. "…a break, okay? Egil pushed you too hard."_

 _Sitting up with a wince, I cock my head at her. "No, I-I think I was just…" My courage crumples. "To be honest…" I gaze just past her neck, to where the round door is propped open, soft moonlight streaming through the crack. "I don't really remember why." Softly, I ease back down and sigh, feeling every inch of my body twinge in pain. "Did I fall?" I finally ask, in an effort to try to keep my only friend here just a little while longer. I know what happened, but I need to know if she…_

 _Vanea pauses and sits back down at the foot of the bed. She taps her hand in the air as if wanting to say something. "In a sense." Based on the tautness to her voice, the Machina's caught on to him._

Why don't you just say it? _I can hear the voice muttering even now._

 _I look away, instead opting to stare at my reflection in the metal wall of the home. My emerald eyes and usual mess of red hair gaze at me back. My pale skin is just as pale as it normally is, my armor just as blue as it normally is, but it looks newer. At the very least, cleaned up._

 _I'm always scared that Linada will change me._

 _I feel changed; I've never been able to shake that feeling away ever since I first woke up like this. I don't understand. Maybe it's something I can never understand._

 _Vanea gives me those smiles, that polite expression—_

 _—_ _but then her eyes drag down—_

 _and I just know she only does it for_ _him_ _._

 _A long finger rasps on my chest, and I jerk back to life. Vanea gives me a cocked smile. "I have to be going. If Egil knew I preferred Linada's treatments for you, I wouldn't be able to come here any longer," she says with a slight laugh._

 _"_ _Vanea?" I ask._

 _"_ _What is it?"_

 _If you felt as if your personality was coming apart, what would you do to fix it?_

 _That's what I wanted to ask. But instead, all I could get out was, "He's taking over."_

 _She doesn't answer._

 _The door slams shut._

* * *

I remember a lot of Vanea's lessons to me. She would lecture me endlessly about how every aspect of our life has importance. She also taught me how to remain curt, courteous, and curious. _Curt_ around Egil's ideas, _courteous_ of Vanea's engineering whims, and _curious_ of their combined results. I sometimes like to liken it to my current situation, just to see if it has merit: Vanea's sense of importance. Albeit, I don't believe her, there are too many aspects of my life that are so meaningless that if I were to blot them out, it would be as if they had never existed. She insists otherwise, but she's never seen life the way I have.

But I'm courteous of her notions. In trying to take in my surroundings, I've deduced only three things (yet that would be enough in that Machina's mind): that I'm definitely feeling that nothing but curtness will suffice, courtesy will have to do to pull myself out of this situation, and I am certainly curious as to the result.

Because I hang in the center of the Heavenly Window.

Because I stare down dozens of Arachno and hundreds of little red eyes.

And because they are really, really _bugging_ me.

I grit my teeth and attempt to kick out and break the threads enwrapping me front to back, face to toes, only to be jostled so badly my head begins to swim. The ground—from what I can see of it through a tear in the cocoon—turns into the Mechonis' polluted ether fields, and I whimper in a sudden wave of nausea. You'd think, as a Face pilot, you'd get a bit used to heights. I did, at one time. And when I say _one time_ , I mean too long ago to do nothing but laugh about it because you can't recall the details.

But, it's funny, really…

…how the prospect of death can make you remember things.

An old reflection staring back at me. Oh dear, I seem to have drudged up some pretty disappointing memories, haven't I? What came next is painfully routine—but he added a twist to it, a twist that I never saw coming.

Like these ridiculous Arachno!

With a grunt, I whip my body sharply to the left, and one such creature flies off of my legs. It lands with a _crack_ against the mildewing wall of the Heavenly Window, and as it collapses to the ground, its legs curl in as it takes its last shudder.

Breathing hard, my head a muddled mess, I see Nemesis out of the corner of my eye, and something in me perks up at her frame: its soothing blue, that gentle grace of her figure. But then, when my blurred vision focuses, I realize that all it is is webbing, torn into the crude shape of my Faced Mechon.

Well, where's Nemesis then—?! This place—the Heavenly Window—it's where I put her!

One Arachno shimmies itself down from the thick bundle of strings that hang me like a doll above a hole, where rippling waters shine beneath me under the moonlight that filters in above us and floods the entire room with light. The Arachno gives me a dagger stare as it moves up a spindly leg, curls it once, then seems to point to the left, where a large spider body rests. It was most certainly dead, there was no questioning that.

And it was most certainly its queen.

Oh, dear Zanza—

The driver that Homs boy Reyn gave me, pressed up against my thigh, digs into whatever flesh is on this body. But I don't notice it much. All I can think about is that Arachno carcass. What do they think, that I killed it? O-or did that Homs do it, that Reyn! And because whatever flesh I have left smells like a Homs, they think I'm Reyn? What an insult.

 _Maybe they're just hungry_.

The childlike suggestion, quivering with fear and pain, that pops into my head almost makes me laugh out loud. Alright, maybe they are just hungry. I understand that without their queen, their mother-figure and guide, the one to protect them and love them and give them shelter from the monsters of the cave systems, they could very well be starving by now. They may not know how to find food by themselves.

They may all be dead by morning.

The Arachno leans in close to my face and stares into my eyes. I breathe hard and press my lips together in an attempt to keep my screams to myself. My neck tightens, like the Arachno just slipped a noose over me, and in a way, she has, and yes, I can tell that she's a girl!

Either way, whether it was they or Mumkhar who stole my Nemesis, I am going to die here without her. In a sense, much like their attachment to their queen. How poetic. Ironic justice.

There goes Egil's running joke of making me into a Mechon—at this point, there will be no more Sung _to_ make into a Mechon!

My body convulses in pain, both from my throbbing shoulder and the driver's sharp edge.

—?!

The driver's sharp edge!

I wriggle harder and hiss out that scream of mine. The metal continues slicing into me, but now it's also turned to sicking its wrath onto my silken prison. My legs begins to get a little more wiggle room.

Exhaling hard, I observe the Arachno. She peers at me, and then makes a strange motion—and nuzzles her face into mine. Her legs wrap around my shoulders.

"W-what?!"

Oh, dear Zanza, _how cruel you are_!

"Get off me!"

The side tears, and I shriek at my shoulder's sharp twist with the motion of my body jerking out of the pod. The Arachno on my face jumps down in fright and scurries to the safety of her clanmates as I scramble to grab the silk. My good hand finds purchase, and I hang there. The spring below me wavers.

My shoulder burns as I hold my arm against my chest. Terrified, I look for a safe landing. The floor, besides being riddled with spiders' webs and creature waste, is totally coated with Arachno. If I were to try what I was _hoping_ to do, I would get swarmed in a heartbeat.

 _No, no, no…_

The silk begins to pull apart at my fingers.

With a shout of surprise, I drop, and the water ripples into my double, like that day too many years ago to count.

Why are you—

 _Why can't you save people in the water? I ask softly. My reflection wavers in the pool. I remember when me and my sister used to swim together with Dad. It feels like a long time ago now._

 _Rahzet looks up at me, his thin face dull and lifeless. "Machina can't go in water. I can only help from the shore." Sighing, he looks down at the polluted water at his feet. We sit on an island in the hidden village, connected by a pipe bridge that's long since rusted and decayed. "Some days I wish I were a Homs."_

 _I laugh. "You're talking to one." The Machina jerks his head up, surprise lighting his face. "But I can't go into the water, either. Well," I hesitate and twist my face as I try to find the right words to describe it. "I can for a little bit, but then my armor feels all funny, and I can't walk. I was modified a while ago… Um, how can I explain it… I'm like you, only Homs in biology, instead of, erm…"_

 _"_ _Egil did this to you?" the man asks. He reaches out two fingers to touch my chest, his expression now borderline panicked. I'm not really sure why. "That… Something's not right…with that…"_

 _I shift my position and smile earnestly. "Yeah, he and Vanea. I um, got into a bad accident, and…Egil and Vanea saved my life." My arms squeeze my legs. "They're like my big siblings, in a way. They're always there for me when I need them."_

 _"_ _Even after Egil went off the deep end?" Rahzet replies, genuinely shocked. "Why would he save you when everything he touches he destroys?"_

 _"_ _He has good reason to fight back." Peering over my knees, I stare off into the water's muddled depths. I prod a finger through the surface. "By attacking the Mechonis, the Bionis' children will be cursed forever."_

 _I'm silent for a moment._

 _My chest burns an ether green._

 _"_ Especially me. _"_


	6. There Will Be Others Differing

The waters of the Spring of Grief are just so _aptly_ named.

I manage to drag myself out of the lake and collapse to the ground, shivering and choking on water. It's only a psychological response—I don't believe I have lungs left to drown—but it's still like dying in ether. I never thought water could burn.

 _It doesn't burn._

So says you.

With a grunt, I stumble forward and throw myself against the wall of Tephra Cave just as my legs give out on me. I wince when I rub my shoulder. I should have gotten out of the water in time, but I might have misjudged the total submersion time—my internal clock's always been on the fritz. Hopefully there isn't any lasting damage.

Egil's been a pain to try to convince repairs upon, which made me surprised when he suggested it before I left. He always just insisted that I'd break myself after Vanea completed them, or that I'd waste them with a new one. He barely used Nemesis and I, which I don't know why. I guess he figured that updating an aging Core Unit that was rarely ever deployed enough to use the updates was a waste of his good time. I suppose I couldn't argue against that. Vanea always seemed to insist upon my staying on the Mechonis.

A wash of dizziness floods my head, and I moan. "I sh-should have eaten something…" My body seizes up. "Dang it…"

I glance down the tunnel leading away from the lake. Scurrying legs echo in the silence. Disgusted, I scowl and look away, up to a sloping hill looping around the spring. I'm not eating an Arachno. I won't stoop that low, even if I could spite Zanza.

Looking at my hand, I tug off the glove and flex the fingers. The ether barbs dotting my palm remain just as hooked, just as sharp as ever. Oddly enough, when I saw Mumkhar's body, it didn't look like he had any way to eat. Maybe they're new designs. Maybe that's why Egil insisted upon the rebuild when I returned.

I sigh and pull the glove back on. Sparks lance across my legs, and I grunt and lift myself up. My bad arm buckles, and I collapse back down with a surge of anger. Why did I use that arm?!

My head smacks against the rough wall. I'm starting to hate this trip.

Muffled voices fill my ears as I close my eyes. They get louder, more frantic, buzzing and scraping against the mechanics of my inner ear cavity. Vanea's voice haunts to mind—always mournful of something or another. Some days she'd be sad, other times she'd be raging. Her most wild emotions mostly came out when I'd try to explain my dreams to her. Like the ones with my father in them. The life I used to have.

 _"_ _Dreams are the stuff of Homs, Sung,"_ she'd chide. _"Never think of them as anything more than that."_

But it was my recurring dream, that night haze that has always visited my sleep and bugged my circuits. I don't remember a night without it since I became a Core Unit.

The dream with the man who tells me that I'm running out of time.

His blond hair, brushing against his jaw as he leans in toward me, flashes in the sunlight far in the distance. Angular silver eyes lock with mine as he mouths a snarling insult. He grabs at me, stabs at me with his fingernails—and then he laughs. That booming, cruel laugh of his.

 _"_ _You are but a miserable relic in a world that has moved on without you. What was your name,_ Sung _? Hahaha! I re—"_

But then the dream cuts out as my failsafes activate and wake me up. My heart pulsates against my rib cage, my breathing is short and wheezing, which causes poor Vanea to panic. I've yet to hear the rest of the man's utterance to me, and I don't think I ever will as long as my mechanical body continues to function as well as it is currently. I'm actually surprised. There are parts of me that are a complete mess—that Egil promised to fix for me—but there are also parts of me that still work well enough to be tolerable; unfortunately, that is my failsafe.

My body begins to feel heavier as deep down, disappointment surges within me.

What a pity. Though it's not like I don't already know what he was going to tell me.

Hands grab my shoulders and jar my body, shaking me hard enough to get me awake _really_ quickly. Several voices shout in tandem. I snap my eyes open and lash out at whomever's touching me. "S-s-stop it—!"

A young Homs steps away from me, and she lets out a pleased noise. "See, I told you he's alright!"

Two more blurry shapes stand at her side, and one sighs in relief, while the other puts an arm around him. "You didn't need to worry," he says.

The boy ignores him and shakes his head hard. Then he turns to me. "A-are you okay…?" he asks, his voice trembling. "You weren't moving, I-I thought that—"

The girl drops to her knees and leans forward, and the first boy who spoke does something similar, his back hunched as he balances on the balls of his feet. "How long have you been hiding in here?" she asks. "You got really deep this time! Where were you going to go, my home?" The girl giggles.

Her question catches me off guard. "What—? Hiding?" I grunt and try to sit up, only to fail. She clutches my hands tightly and yanks me to my feet, and the boy on the left yelps as I lose my balance and stumble into him. He screams and grabs at the girl, and all three of us go crashing to the ground.

"Ow… Brodei, you klutz…"

The boy on the right cries out, "Are you okay?!"

"That actually hurt," the other grunts. "Won't you ask me if _I'm_ alright?"

"Well—," he stutters.

I pull away from the tangle of limbs and lean against the cave wall. My legs still feel numb, and they creak with every minute movement. My hands cling to the rock surface to keep myself upright. "I haven't been hiding anywhere. What are you talking about?" I manage out.

My vision clears up, and the group's faces become painfully known to me as my heart sinks—Homs, all of them. The boy who collapsed with me scratches at his ragged blond hair, his green eyes searching me as if looking for answers that won't ever come. The other, a bewildered blue-haired kid, can only stare with a weird look of hope in his eyes, and he gives the girl a grin.

I'm not talking to them, I don't trust Homs.

 _Why not?_ A tiny voice moans in my ear. I ignore him. _I know them—!_

The girl, scrunching up her freckled face and putting her hands at her hips, taps her foot before speaking. "Don't you remember, Brodei?" she asks, her mouth pulling down in an adult-like scowl. "You disappeared while we were playing." Oh no. Oh, no no no.

"Yeah, you got all uppidy and went off to sulk, you're lucky you're okay," the blue-haired boy adds, a tinge of fright to his tone. "Mum and Dad told us not to go into the caves."

 _Dang you!_

The light from my eyes and my chest fails me again, and I gape my mouth as I still hear that internal shriek echoing in my ears. I would have sworn it came from outside, but no one else seemed to hear it except for me.

I shake my head hard. "Well, _sorry_ if I forgot," I snarl back. "I didn't ask for any rescue, I was gonna come back."

"But you didn't. And then we couldn't find you anywhere," Anactro says, gasping for a breath as he goes to continue—but I won't allow that.

"Anact, I'm fine. Just because you're my brother doesn't mean you have to follow me around, I just needed to cool down."

 _You know these people?_

"Brodei, you were gone for a year," Mayni says, crossing her arms, "and then you act as if everything's the same as it's always been. Why're you acting so weird, did you hit your head again?" Her scowl fades quickly. "Oh no, you hit your head."

"You didn't even remember us at first!" Shi says with a wail. "I was excited 'cause we finally found you, I didn't want—" He stops talking and swallows down his words, then glances away.

I frown. "Shi?"

 _"_ _Hey, Brodei, where are you going? Brodei, I didn't mean it!"_

I blink, suddenly remembering the last thing I heard.

"I can't believe you've been here the whole time!" Mayni says.

"No, Mayni, I-I really don't understand what hap—" But she won't hear of it, and she won't ever understand.

 _What's going on?!_

Cutting off a protesting Mayni with a hug, I ignore the overwhelming anger bubbling inside me and the pain in my shoulder, and I tense my arms around my friend. "I missed you guys." She nestles her head into my collarbone as she begins shaking.

 _Urgh, cast them aside now, before you lose them forever!_

I have this. Leave me alone so I can be with my friends and family! You're just jealous.

 _Oh, you're a feisty one, aren't you?! You'll remember things you shouldn't remember, Brodei, or say something that isn't you. You'll make that mistake, and they'll notice, they'll cast you aside if you don't do it yourself!_

I. Don't. Care. They won't do that to me.

 _OH, trust me, they don't have a reason why they shouldn't._

 _Shut up_! I mentally scream before releasing Mayni; however, I clamp my hands to her shawl as soon as I try to stand independently. She yips, but grabs onto my brother, and for just a moment, flashbacks of falling come back to me. Thankfully, Anactro was straightening from clutching his knee just as she flashed a hand out, and he managed to hold his ground before we all backstepped into the Spring of Grief.

Anactro grunts in pain, then chortles. Shi blusters out a smile. "Honestly," he says. "What was that glow, Brodei, do you have light in your armor or something?"

My cousin gives me an odd look, and I can only stare before glancing down at my chest. A claw mark rips away at a layer of a metal plate that's set over the rest of my…whatever my body is. A layer of the silver is starting to peel away from the scars, but Mumkhar must have only grazed me. "Yeah, I guess."

He looks as if he wants to say something more, but he only presses his lips together and forces a nod. "Perhaps it's an ether release," he says out loud, "or some sort of chemical reaction you got on your armor and in your eyes. But—" Again, that apprehensive look. "Something's…not…"

Sung's annoying voice in my head, constantly snarking at me, falls silent before he finally sighs.

 _I wish you understood that I am far different from you in more ways than you can ever imagine._


	7. Perhaps in Ideals, Goals

I wince as the sunlight outside Tephra Cave blares in my eyes as we walk out, and I tighten my arms around Mayni and Shi's shoulders. A migraine aches in my head—not from the light, but from Sung's incessant muttering that hasn't stopped since I let my friends help me out of the cave.

"C-could we stop over here, please?"

"Why? The whole colony'll be glad to see you again!" Shi replies, as if this question was the most ridiculous thing I could ever ask for.

"No, I'm serious, Shi, I can't walk right now." My cousin only sighs before moving to the left, where all four of us sit against the mountainside. The shade is a dissonance from the furnaces and smog of Central Factory; it's much cooler, refreshing. Even Tephra Cave was insufferably stuffy. Sung may enjoy the inner workings of the Mechonis as a home, but I sure don't—maybe I just wasn't there long enough to get used to it like he had. I don't even think what I'm remembering of it is _my_ memories, which scares me all the more.

Mayni draws her knees closer to her chest. "You probably won't recognize much of the colony anymore," she mumbles.

I glance over at her in surprise. "Why?"

"B-because…" Her shaking hands wipe at her eyes as she begins to cry, and Shi stammers a response.

"Get it out, Shi."

"Brodei, the colony—…"

"It was attacked by M-Mechon!" my brother sobs. "Mum and Dad…M-Mum and Dad…"

As soon as he says, "Mechon," everything falls together. Mumkhar's face leers in my mind. _"Care to swap jobs with me?"_ While Sung should have listened to me instead of playing brave, I think I would've had a panic attack if I had to fight him instead. Mumkhar always frightened me, especially when I used to visit Jan on the weekends to hear stories of the wars and the musings of his old friend, Xanath; Mumkhar would make fun of me for even caring about the past. Then he'd get yelled at for being "one of those failures of the Defense Force," and Jan would make me feel better with those words alone.

"Oh no," I whisper. "There was a bigger Mechon there, right? One with a face?"

All three nod, though Anactro hangs his head. "We only saw him once before we had ta' go to the shelter, b-but… I don' think I'll ever forget him. If we fought Dunban more, we could'ave beat him!"

"No!" I shout, grabbing them closer to me. Shi's mouth gapes. "You did fine, if you tried to fight him, I wouldn't have been found, and then where would we be?"

"How could you say that, he had the Mechon eat your mummy and daddy." At Mayni's words, I whip around to face her. "I know that I would want to go after him then." She sniffles again. "You're lucky you were in that cave."

My mouth moves in a pathetic attempt to speak coherently. "Wha… C-come on, stop…" I feel tears try to form, but nothing physical comes, and Mayni holds me as I scream.

* * *

Shi leads the way to Shulk's lab, his stride confident despite the rubble he steps around. The colony's depressing and sad, and no one is even looking at us but a few who give my brother a pity smile. As we walk, Mayni adjusts her arm slung across my backside. Anactro exhales and tightens his lips as his right foot limps after his left, but his hand remains tight holding my elbow.

"Sorry, I'm just dragging you down," he mumbles, his face flushed. "I got injured when the Mechon attacked."

"It's fine. I think we both need the support," I reply.

"Hey, where'd you get that armor?" At my stop, Mayni stumbles, and Anactro stares at me. "Your armor, it's different than what Colony 9 sells, and you didn't have it before you entered the cave," he says.

My heart sinks—here I was half hoping that they'd stupidly not notice. "Oh…" But I can't tell them. Not yet, at least, as long as the lie holds out. Which may very well be two seconds. "I managed to get out of the cave, but I went the wrong way a-and came across whatever was left of Colony 6. That's where I found a dead Mechon, and I made it into armor to protect me." Well, part of that is true. I did find Colony 6.

"Did you lose your stomach, too?"

 _Eich. Vanea makes up some weird Core Unit designs, and it didn't look like it was improved at all with the others—all three of those men had the same gut absence as I. I just discount it to a fetish and try not to think of it; it's how I sleep at night,_ Sung says. I can imagine him shrugging, as if all of this was nonchalant.

But I can't tell them _that_.

"Um, yeah. Emergency surgery that the Colony 6 people did for me. I'm luck to be alive," I say in a deadpan tone. "Those are the same Homs who painted the armor too, by the way." That answer satisfied Mayni, who looked as if she were about to ask about another hole in my lie, only this hole is the size of my abdomen.

Shi stops and spins around, going up onto his tiptoes as he clasps his hands behind his back. His lanky body seems even thinner than the last time I saw him. "We're here. I think Dickson could fix your armor so it's not as stiff."

"It's just water-damaged."

"I know, your hair's still wet. Did you swim in the Spring of Grief again?"

"Again? Oh," I let out a little laugh. "Yeah, no. I fell in when—" I stop myself. "—w-when I slipped."

"We should swim in it again now that you're back~," Mayni hums. "We came up with some'ore water games."

With a groan, Anactro rolls his eyes. "Yeah, maybe when my leg's healed, Mayni."

Shi laughs, though it fades in annoyance. "Come on, if we wanna play in places we shouldn't play in again, we gotta fix Brodei's armor."

He leads us into the entrance and down the sloped corridor, where Anactro yips when his leg nearly gives out. At the bottom, a lab stands, and a single Homs in a baggy blue tunic, grey vest, and white pants mills around in it. He seems distracted by something as he stoops over to read what looks like a stack of papers on a desk.

"Dickson?" Anactro asks, surprised.

Deep inside of me, Sung's voice shrieks something so incoherent I'm not even sure it was him saying it. He falls silent (unsettlingly so), and I no longer feel him around.

"Dicky!" giggles Mayni. "Brodei came back, he came back!"

Dickson turns around, shock raising his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Shi says. "But his armor's all water damaged, it needs refurbishing."

No, no, no, Shi, just fix it yourself, please… Come on, I trust you, I don't want someone else questioning it…

The man leans against the—empty?—Monado stand and looks at me in a strange way. "Well, bring him over here, kids, I'll take care of it before I leave with Dunban."

"What? Why?"

"He wants to go after Shulk and Reyn. And seeing as how he's not exactly healthy…" He scoffs. "That beast. Anyway, where'd you find him? I thought he got lost after we returned from the Battle of Sword Valley."

Mayni grins. "Well, we finally found him in Tephra Cave!"

"Our daily search has paid off!" Anactro adds.

"Y-you looked for me every day?!" I say.

"Well, yeah. You're my brother," he replies. I smile at that.

After a long moment of staring at me, Dickson straightens. A shiver runs down my spine. "He can stay at my house for the night while I figure out how to clean the kid up," the Homs says. "Just give me until morning, then he's all yours. I'm sure you want to spend as much time with him as you can." He starts forward, herding us out of the lab, Anactro and I limping alongside Shi and Mayni. "Geez, kid, your leg's really getting bad, ain' it?"

"Um, yeah, but it's already starting to feel better now that Brodei's back," Anactro replies, though I can see the look on his bleached face: disturbance.

* * *

 _You know I would have attacked Colony 9 no matter what. It was Egil's orders, I had to follow them._

And you know that I would have stopped you before you could do that.

Every time I talk back to him in my head, it feels like pulling a hundred pounds, and I can barely force my words out, as if two souls aren't supposed to be in a conversation together. I wouldn't be surprised if it's some unwritten rule. It seems fairly easy for whoever's not in control, however. Weird—it gives me the sensation like I'm bodiless and disconnected from the rest of me—but easy.

 _I would have counted on it. I'm sorry, Brodei. About your parents, I know how you feel._

Shut up, Sung. You have no idea how I feel.

 _You're just saying that because you're grief-stricken. A year is plenty long to get used to sharing emotions._ He's silent, guiltily so. _I mean, not like you had that, but…_

Oh, I don't think I could ever get used to you. Besides, if you truly know how I feel, you wouldn't hide those memories from me.

As my inner critic remains silent, I sigh and slide off Dickson's bed on the second floor of his home.

 _He's going to recognize me._

At Sung's mournful statement, I stop. "What?" My utterance comes out before I could think to think it.

 _Dickson, h-he… We know each other. From a long time ago._

Oh, so is that why you stayed silent? So you wouldn't be recognized?

 _Well, that didn't work, clearly,_ he snarks back at me.

Do you really think that he thought it was you of all people? What, was your old body my doppelgänger or something?

 _Your words are different. You don't speak like a child anymore, and he heard that._

No, Sung. I'm sure it was just my armor.

I head downstairs, using the railing to help, where Dickson, nursing a glass of something amber, sits on the kitchen counter. "Hey, did you get all set up? You still have your driver on your back," he comments after taking another sip. His weathered face smirks from behind the drink.

"Yeah, um, I guess I've just gotten paranoid from being stuck in the caves," I reply, "f-for…so long."

With a sigh, I sit down at the table, and he does as well, crossing his legs and casting me a dark look. "Come on out, Sung, I've never known anybody more paranoid than you."

Green light floods my chest and flares up my eyes.

"There you go. I'm surprised. I didn't expect to hear your sorry voice again."

" _I didn't expect to see your yellow hide again_ ," I counter. "Besides, if you think I'm willing to remain here, you're dead wrong, Dickson," I say.

"You've gone informal." He cocks his head and looks as if he's analyzing me. "I'm not normally here, but Zanza's all locked up, and now I hafta do all the dirty work. Including raising a brat," he finishes. While his tone is bitter, it doesn't sound right—as if it was forced.

Whatever.

Scoffing, I cross my arms and give him an equally dark look back. "You still have Lorithia and, what was his name, Alvis? I'm _certain_ that they feel the same."

He only snorts. "What happened to make you take a different body? Not happy with your old one? Better yet, what happened to the real Brodei?" Dickson's lips turn up in a woeful expression. "I kinda liked that kid." The Homs reaches over and pushes my hair back, and my back spasms as I recoil.

"Brodei's still there," I reply with gritted teeth, "He's just being suppressed, much like he's been suppressing me since he got to the colony. You think I wanted to stop here?"

"Yeah? Then what happened to his body? Did it get mangled in Tephra Cave?" His voice rises in disbelief. "Ha! Looks like it came straight from that pathetic Egil's mind!"

I fall silent, and he laughs a cold sound. With a grunt, I grab a Dance Apple from his table and tug my glove off. "Trust me," I mutter, "I plan on returning to them." As the apple crackles and crumbles to dust under my fingers, I feel a little more invigorated, but not by much. "You three blew it back then with my father, and I'm not planning on going back, _ever_."

"It was necessary," Dickson says, eyeing me from the rim of his drink, "And you became truant. You had the whole thing planned even before your old man bit the ether. Heh." The man takes a drink, smirks, and crushes the glass. The amber liquid drips from his fingers, and my breathing stops for a minute.

I had forgotten how strong he actually was.

"I'm still not quite sure what you thought your plan was, though."

"It doesn't matter in the end," is all I reply with. My body feels stiff, my hands clamped at the edge of the table. I keep my eyes down as I speak with the most controlled voice I could muster. "It all happened, and… if it hadn't, you wouldn't have your precious Sung on the wrong side. Well,—" I curl my mouth into a smile. "—in your eyes."

"If it hadn't, you would have died along with all the others."

"They saw it as a big honor, Dickson." I finally look up at him, and bad memories float to mind. The entire memory's been lost over time, but, unfortunately, I can still hear it. I can always hear it.

 _"_ _W-what the—wha… F-Fathe…"_

 _"_ _You know what you have to do. Right?" The controlled voice of a Homs laughs at me._

 _"_ _NO! No, I cannot, I cannot…"_

 _"_ _Come on, do it," Dickson snaps._

 _"_ _No, Zanzaaa!"_

I finger a knot in the worn wood of the table. "Would I have died?" I ask.

A sense of realization hits Brodei, his feelings of anger and betrayal pulsating in my chest. We speak in tandem, like brothers with the same goal.

"Dickson," I stand. "if I had known that you would be here, I would have destroyed Colony 9 myself."

 **4tsloid:** ** _Thank you_** **for taking the time to do your detailed review! I am very grateful for it, especially your notes on the events of Tephra Cave and my prose structure—I didn't realize they were all set up the same way, so thank you for helping me be more conscious of that. I've always known I had too much purple prose, but I think I needed someone to say it. :)**


	8. But Each One Has the Same Fate

_"_ _I wanted this body to finish what I started, and I will gladly bask in your screams to get to the Monado!"_

* * *

Dickson guides me up the staircase, and I whirl around, grabbing his arm. "Tell me about this Monado. Brodei won't say, and I'm not too keen on sifting though his memories."

He scoffs a laugh. "Don't be playing dumb now. You of all should know."

"I care not to remember those times."

"Well, do it." As I open my mouth, he answers my question before I could even ask it. "It's the same sword."

 _S-Shulk, he was researching it. Reyn's his friend, it's who we met in Tephra Cave. I just didn't recognize him at first in the darkness, but after what Dickson said earlier_ _about them leaving_ _… I mean, it makes sense._

"How could you let it near those Homs? Shulk and the others?" I accuse.

 _Do you think he's alright, Sung? Sung?_

"When did you find it?"

"Shulk was 4," he responds.

"I do not know how old Shulk is!"

 _He's eighteen, honestly! He's six yea_ _r_ _s older than me._

Don't snap at me. If you'd share your memories of him, then maybe I wouldn't have to worry about looking like the fool.

I pause, a thought coming to mind. I didn't realize Brodei was so young.

 _I'm only doing what you're doing,_ replies Brodei with a grumble, blatantly ignoring my realization.

"The Bionis is going to reawaken," Dickson says abruptly. His smile glints with maliciousness. "Will you be there to see it?"

"Z-Zanza couldn't have found…"

 _Why do you seem so… Why does it feel like you…expected…_ Brodei's hesitant voice shakes in my ear. I shove it away.

Dickson looks as if he's recalling fond memories. "Believe it, kid. And if you want to stop it, you're six days behind. Shulk's left already, and I'm sure that if he sees the sorry state your body's in, he'll kill you on the spot. He wants revenge on the Mechonis for killing Fiora," the Homs says.

Brodei, inside of me, practically gives me a heart attack at the panic and pain that clenches my chest.

 _R-revenge?! Shulk never…!_ _E-even if F-Fiora…_ His words choke.

Are you sure?

 _I'm positive he never did anything like that before!_ Brodei manages to say.

I, pausing from his comment, look up at Dickson. "Well, aren't you going to stop me?" I ask, staring up at his pitiless face from underneath my eyebrows. "Brodei's body is weak. You could easily kill me on the spot, right here, right now, and no one would know the difference. Your Thunder Flash drains ether, so it would look like it just gave out after a tough few nights in Tephra Cave if you were careful enough. They'd believe that," I sneer. "Homs are that naïve."

 _I don't wanna die._

"Ha!" Dickson, with a shrug, shoves me up the staircase, where I trip with a grunt. "Kill you? I'd rather see you squirm. Besides, those kids would never believe that story—they're more perceptive than we _grown-ups_ think." The Homs only smirks before forcing me further up to the second floor of the home. "In all other cases," I glance over at him. "I'd put a hole in you the size of Colony 9."

At that, I cock a smile. "If you didn't, I'd have thought you had gotten too soft."

The Homs doesn't respond, and I don't look back at him as I reach the top of the staircase and he reaches the bottom.

Brodei begins to cry inside of me.

Slumping my shoulders, I sit down on the bed with its bedding still crisp, yet a little musty, as if it has never been slept in before.

The door shuts tight in the floor below, and footsteps crunch on the gravel. I watch the window, and curiosity flourishes in me as I see Dickson's shadow cast in the street lamp's light before continuing forward into the distance. I wonder where he's going.

 _Sung, I don't wanna die,_ Brodei repeats, breaking me out of my thoughts.

"I know you don't want to die, Brodei." I glance away from the window before merely sighing.

 _You don't have any friends or any family, but I do! I have my brother and my cousin and Mayni, a-and I…_

" _Thanks,_ " I remark coldly.

The boy begins to fight me for control. " _But that doesn't give you a right to—_ "

I slam my hands over my mouth before Brodei could continue hacking my vocal cords, and one lowers and curls into a fist. The glove covering my right hand squeaks as my fingers tighten against my palm, and Brodie falls silent as I punch the metal plate on my chest. The upside-down triangle, I heard from Egil and Vanea, is Meyneth's insignia—the Machina siblings just embossed it to a flat piece of white-silver metal and fused it to my armor. I have found that by pounding on it, it does a well enough job in shutting up whoever's trying to gain control. It's sort of ironic, in a way.

"I know."

I sit on the bed, my knees drawn to my chest. As I tip my head backward, landing with a soft _thunk_ against the wall, something in me wishes for my father. Oh, how he'd be aghast at my body now. He always had such… _hopes_ for me. Though I never exactly shared them, he was still my friend, and I can only guess that he did all he did for my freak mother.

 _Why'd you call her that?_ Brodei asks. He sounds tired. _And why'd you hit me, I want a say in my own body!_

Rolling my eyes, I don't even want to give him the graces of a response for _that_. "Because if I used the real term for her type of person, you wouldn't understand it."

 _My mum was kind._

"Do you want to talk about her in your grief? I'll listen."

 _You don't wanna, I can tell from your tone._

"Because I know I can't talk about mine," I reply bitterly.

He's silent at that, and I don't say anything either. Then: _Well…I mean…you could._

I bark out a strangled laugh. "Ha! Like you'd get it. My family was a messy, convoluted clumping of ether particles. Yours actually sounds somewhat normal."

 _You have a mum and a dad, how's that messy?_

You're so naïve, I hate it.

After a long pause, I finally reply, "Let's just say I had a lot of half-siblings."

Brodei only sighs, as if he knows that this conversation is futile. _I guess you wouldn't get it, then._

Raising my eyebrows in reply, I push myself up. "Get what?"

 _Their ideals for you. What they dream of having you become._

" _That_ I do get." I remark under my breath. With a quick hop off the bed, I stretch out before sitting, moving my legs so they're extended out in front of me. "If you try to take over, Brodei, I'll screw everything up and then neither of us can live up to our parents' ideals."

 _What are you doing?_

"I'm doing what Dickson lied about doing." I shrug. "We'll just tell the others that he fixed your legs for you and that's that." If only "that's that." "Does Dickson carry any form of oil around?"

 _Um, not that I've ever seen, but maybe in the weapon development lab?_

I roll my eyes. "Great, we were just there! You can't argue that Dickson was completely blowing steam about this now, can you?"

But I know what he's going to say.

 _I never thought that to begin with,_ Brodei snarks back.

Smirking, I fiddle with the right leg. It comes off surprisingly easy, which shows just how much Brodei needed an update. It's strange how Vanea used old parts and didn't just disguise new ones.

Deep inside of me, I can _feel_ Brodei scream.

This is going to be fun.

* * *

"Alright, Brodei," I say with a sigh, "s'all is done."

Brodei's legs sit in pieces ahead of my torso, the joints separated from the main metal sheets and artificial muscle of the thighs and calves; the knees, broken into numerous parts, sit square in the middle of the two anatomical leg pieces.

 _I think that's the most informal you've ever spoken,_ Brodei says in surprise.

"And you missed my point."

 _I see my legs, Sung. They're in pieces._

"Hm, I know, right?"

Brodei only grunts.

Exhaling, I fiddle around with a few of the parts, then tighten my mouth in dejection. "Is there a way to contact your friends, see if they'd be good enough to get me my oil?"

 _It's not your oil, and no, because they'll see my legs and they'll know that I'm a Mechon!_

My heart _breaks_. "Don't feel like being a Mechon is some horrible thing, Brodei." I'm being sarcastic, and he knows it.

 _And don't feel like you hafta mock everything I say._

"I only provide a heartful opinion." I throw my head back and stare at the ceiling and its wooden beams. "And anyway—Brodei—they'll find out eventually."

Outside, through the glass pane of the window, nighttime insect wings scrape and buzz against themselves, creating the most exasperating noise I have ever heard. I only roll my eyes and try not to focus on it.

After a long moment of pain, Brodei responds. _I had hoped to keep it from them,_ he admits, voice breaking. _I don't want them to know._

"I bet your brother knows, Anactro? He seemed rather displeased with your answer on the grungy streets earlier."

 _I…I saw that. But…_ His voice hardens in pure disgust. Frowning, I drop my ceiling stare. _I didn't know that you had. Have you always been listening in when I'm doing something or another? Like in Tephra, when I was attacked by those Arachno or talking to Reyn? HECK, I thought of memories that wasn't even mine when I was all bound up, of your betrayal no less! What were you thinking, tossing me aside? Well, too bad, you're stuck with me, and I'm sick of hearing your complaints!_

I drop the leg pieces, now annoyed. "Are you done? You would complain too if you were dragged across all of Bionis and had to be tossed into the cesspit of Colony 9, w-with that monster Dickson and your Homs friends you should've forgotten by now!" I scream. "I didn't ask for this! You didn't ask for this! I was perfectly content with my old host, I didn't want to be fused to your putrid body! I just wanted _peace_!" A raking sob hits me harder than I expected it. "But then he didn't want me anymore, and I got put in you, a-and I just tried to forget it because I felt aband—" My crying chokes my words. "I never wanted a real body again, anyway… I didn't want your life and your burdens, I don't have time for them!"

When Brodei takes a breath to speak, it shakes and sounds mucusy. _Do you really hate me that much, Sung?_

With a crazed laugh, I collapse onto the pillow and can't stop. I thought you did. "W-we both h-hate each other." I wipe away tears from my—Brodei's—face before cracking a grin. My hand brushes against Brodei's low hairline, my fingers pushing into his mess of cobalt hair and rubbing against a thick scar on his scalp. "I-I never hated you, I hate your situation, I hate your body, b-but…" The wetness in my eyes starts back up again. "It just makes me jealous. You never have to worry about becoming blind."

I clutch the pillow tight to me as I roll over.

"Blind to everything around you but the smell of ether burning though the air."

* * *

 _"_ _Is your name Brodei?"_

 _"_ _W-wha… Um, yes—?" My voice scratches against my throat, which throbs and pulses with a dull ache in tandem to rest of my body._

 _"_ _Brodei, I want you to listen to me."_

 _"_ _Who are you?"_

 _The woman looks up at me now from an orange control panel, maybe, I don't really know what that is. Her face lifts fully, and grey skin marked with tattoos meets my gaze. I've never seen anyone like her before in my life—is that what a "freak" looks like? O-oh, no, no, no, where am I, I don't wanna be with this person, let me go!_

 _"_ _P-please, calm down! Try to slow your heartbeat. My name is Vanea, Brodei, please, don't be frightened."_ _Her even, gentle voice soothes me a little, but it's not like Mum's._

 _I can't move, or else I'd try to run away. My arms and my legs are pinned to a machine. "You're not a Homs," I whimper._

 _"_ _No, I'm not. I am a Machina, the people of Mechonis."_

 _The Mechonis?!_

 _"_ _It'll take a lot of explaining, Brodei, explaining we don't have time for. The person next to you," As she gestures to her right, I twist my neck to see. Another boy, a little bit older—like Shi—lays next to me, his armor identical to mine:_ _a_ _simple pale blue; we even share the same_ _silver_ _designs. His black and grey hair is unruly and a mess of tangles, but he seems stone asleep enough to not care. A flat_ _, upside-down_ _triangle is on his chest. "_ _i_ _s Sung, for the most part."_

 _"_ _For the most—"_

 _"_ _He's around your age and needs a friend." Vanea smiles. "Basically, you could call him a first prototype of what you are now. But I had to design your armor differently than the others so he'd feel more at home. Once you're_ _reawakened_ _, Egil will update you_ _,_ _and you have nothing to worry about, alright, Brodei?"_

 _"_ _Is he asleep?" I ask, not really understanding what she was saying._ _But I feel like I need to say something._

 _"_ _In a sense, no, but as you know it, yes." That smile again. "He won't wake up, don't fret."_

 _I close my eyes, exhaustion slamming into me. "My mum said that… 'Don't fret.' Heh."_

 _Vanea doesn't respond to that._ _She sounds strained, like the time my parents had to tell us why Mayni was crying._ _"Now, usually once a Core Unit is complete, you would receive a module for knowing how to pilot a Face_ _d Mechon_ _, but like I said before, we don't have time for that. Sung knows all the information that I would normally present to you, but Brodei!" My eyes open at her louder call of my name. "Brodei, do not trust Sung. Not with your Face, not with your life, and especially not with his judgement."_

 _"_ _Why…?"_

 _"_ _Soul transfer, on."_

 _"_ _But wh—"_

"Hey, Brodeeeei! Brodeei!"

"You up yet, sleepyhead?" Anactro calls out. "Heh, you always liked sleepin' in!"

"Leave him alone, I bet he's just tired from being in Tephra Cave all day."

I snort awake as Mayni's passionate screams float past the window and into my ears. My neck aches, and so does my back, and I realize that I must have fallen asleep after Sung had that weird breakdown. Pushing myself upright, I frantically grab the blanket at the foot of the bed and yank it over my pathetic mess of limbs.

"U-um, yeah, sorry!" I call down. Mayni only giggles, and Anactro moans. "I guess I was just tired."

The green glow of Sung is gone, and I'm left in peace and quiet. I guess he finally got to sleep himself; I had no idea what on Bionis he was babbling about—maybe he was the one who was a bit too tired from Tephra Cave.

I hesitate before I say what I need to say. "Come up, I'm too lazy to come down to meet you, haha!" _Ha. Ha_.

My brother roars his trademark laughter. "Okay, lazybones~! We're _comin' up_!"

Before their feet even so much as slam down on the stairs do I feel tears come, and I can't stop them before they enter the top loft.

Mayni says something first and immediately heads over, Shi stammering something. "What's wrong? You're crying," she says, looking as if she's about to cry herself.

Anactro's giggling fit has long since died down, and he finally enters the room, one hand holding his leg as his teeth are clenched in agony. "I-I'm sorry, I slept on it all funnily…"

"It's fine, Anact, you don't have anything to worry about," Shi replies, coming over to support him. "Mum changed the bandages."

"I know, I know, I know…"

My eyes widen at my brother's pain. "Anact—!"

"I'm fine!" he snaps, sitting down at an extra chair. Shi only looks worried.

"Brodei, why are you crying?" he says, much like a calm medic in the middle of a war.

"I-I…I don't know, I'm scared, I—"

He, with that same composer, rips the blanket away.

" _Be careful of the parts!_ " Sung screams though my mouth. I slam a hand onto it before breaking down in Mayni's arms. "Mayni, he left, he never fixed them at all, and, I-I can't even explain or even run away, I don't know what to do," I say, taking a desperate breath.

Mayni can only stare, and she barely holds me as her arms loosen in probable shock.

I want to explain, but I can't. Nothing comes out.

Oh, _Zanza_ , how I wish this was a dream.

And I wish I knew why I used that name.

"You're a Mechon," Anactro chokes out, "like the Mechon that killed—" He only drops his head and exhales, covering his face.

"No, no, I— Anact…Anactro…"

I feel sympathy in my chest, but it's not my emotion. The green of Sung's irises floods my body again, and a dizzy sensation washes over me as our souls fight for dominance. " _I'm part Mechon,_ " he explains rather smoothly. " _After I ran away I was caught by Mechon, and I was taken to the Mecbonis. Like…_ " Sung hesitates, and I don't know why. I feel like I don't know anything anymore. " _…_ _l_ _ike Mum and Dad._ " Shi opens his mouth to speak, defiance burning in his eyes. " _They don't eat people, or did you really think that metal creatures need biological organisms for food? Aren't you the scientist of the group, Shi? The logical one?_ "

He stutters a weak cry. "I-I don't believe you, Brodei, or are you Brodei?! You don't sound like him, you sound like some foreign _thing_ with his face! Your eyes are even glowing like a Mechon's, and there isn't anything here that would make them light up!"

" _I am not a thing!_ " Sung screams this before I could even intercept the situation. " _I am a person too!_ _A-and besides, don't you care at all for Brodei, for his body that he can't even fix anymore?! It is true, and if you truly don't believe me, then share no hope for your family, because they're on the Mechonis right now, being turned into half-Mechon hybrids like your friend!_ "

For the first time, I'm still in control, and he's still speaking.

"And suddenly you're speaking in the third person," Anactro cuts in, red-rimmed eyes narrowed. He adjusts his position on the chair, his bad leg pulled up close to his chest. "What on Bionis are you?"

Sung willingly steps aside. And I am all for what he just did. "The _Homs_ ' name is Sung, Anact. Look, it is me, he was just trying to help. And Mum and Dad probably are on the Mechonis, and you could probably say that Sung is a split personality, and _yes_ , I am part-Mechon, now can we just get this all over with so you can get the oil I need so I can fix my legs?!" I say.

"The green is gone," he only says in reply.

"Yes, Anactro, Sung has green eyes, now can we get on with it?!"

"Who is Sung?" Mayni asks in an impossibly small voice. "Is he a friend, Brodei?"

I only roll my eyes and snivel. "Call him my Mechon soul."

Shuffling his feet, Shi looks away. "I-I'm sorry— I thought… I didn't know… Ah… Are they really turning Homs into Mechon?"

"Out of everything, you ask that?" I reply dryly. "For the umpteenth time, Shi, yes! And I'm sorry I had to lie yesterday, I just didn't know what to tell you! You guys seemed so excited, I didn't wanna drop it a-and—" I don't go any further with trying to predict how they'd act: I've already seen it. "—especially after hearing about the Mechon raid."

"I'll get the oil." Much to my shock, it was Mayni who spoke. "We were being mean to you. You lost your mummy and your daddy and your body."

I only look away, and can barely even mumble a "thanks" before she trots off. Shi exhales in frustration and rushes out after her. "Mayni, wait, I'll come with you, you're too tiny to go alone!"

"I am not tiny!"

Anactro remains silent. "Um, Brodei," He glances behind his shoulder, and as he does so, the door slams shut. "it's not looking good. My leg, I mean."

I let out a laugh. "Mine don't exactly look good, either."

"No, that's not what I meant." My brother sighs and turns his vacant stare to the window. "Cheryl thinks that they might hafta cut it off."

"What?!" I gasp. "Why didn't you tell me, Anactro?"

"B-because you were tired, and she wan't sure yet! But then this morning, it was all weird. I even made sure I kept it elevated, y'know, but I could barely even sleep, and when I woke up I was in so much pain. I don't want the others to know," he whimpers. "But you get it."

Closing my eyes, I long to reach out a hand and grab his, to try to give him something of support. "I'm so, so sorry. Maybe if I didn't run away…"

"You got angry, you can't help it. We don't blame you!"

"But if I worked on controlling it more, you could still be on the Defense Force! Your dream."

Anactro looks miserable as he speaks. "Do you have any dreams, Brodei? W-well, those that didn't get crushed by whatever it was that those Mechon did to you. I don't wanna talk about negatives again, it's all the adults do."

I open my eyes.

 _What you're looking for, Brodei, is Eryth Sea,_ Sung says.

"Reach Eryth Sea," I reply quietly. "The place Dad said was silly to go to. Shi's brother mentioned it when I caught him packing, shortly before he left to the Bionis' Head. I was looking for Shi, but we got to talking, and it sounded so…amazing." I almost added that Sung has some fragments of a memory he actually lets me look at, but that would have just confused Anactro. "Um, I guess Eryth Sea is what the head of the Bionis is called, I didn't hear much about it from the Mechonis, but I heard of the name."

Anactro forces a smile. "Really? I didn't know that. Um, the name of it, but I could have guessed _that_ dream a Giants' stride away!" He suddenly breaks out in a genuine laugh. "It was so obvious, when Dad was all disgusted at our cousin and you just got distracted. And then you tried to bring up somethin' else, but it came out all wrong and you failed so bad at tryin' ta hide it!"

"Oh, heheh, I remember what Dad said next, h-he was all like—"

I stop and choke out a wheezing gasp, bending over to try to get some air. Anactro stumbles upwards, his chair collapsing behind him, but as soon as his leg lands on the floorboards, he's screaming and doubled over.

W-what the—!

 _He was all like, "Dreams are stupid, silly things that no decent member of this family should ever try to have. Not because they're bad, but because they'll just break your heart. You won't live long enough to have a dream, Sung."_

My brother shrieks out my name, though it's muddled by his own strangled sobs.

And then it passes.

I inhale as oxygen floods my airways again. Gasping, my hands go straight to my neck. "A-Anact…," I wrench out, a cough raking me. He glances up from between his chair and my bed, agony distorting his face into a tear-streaked mess. "Are you okay?"

"A-am I… Brodei—!" He dives the rest of the way and wraps his arms tight around me. "Brodei, I couldn't reach you, you could've died…!"

I glance down, and at the smears of blood trailing on the floor, I only return the hug tighter than his.


	9. To Fight As One, You Must Be Strong

_"_ _What do I have to do again,_ _F_ _ather?"_

 _"_ _Your coming of age ceremony. Do not worry. Treat it like you would a great and noble quest!"_

 _"_ _But I have never been on a quest."_

 _"_ _…_ _well, imagine it like one of your adventures. I will be waiting for your return along with the others_ _."_

 _"_ _Thank you."_

The only other time that I have ever been on a journey was to Satorl Marsh on my birthday. I had to complete a rite at the Adulthood Emblem to prove my status as a mature adult among my community—it's not as if they ever noticed me, adult or child, but regardless, the quest was hard, and not many survived it, so when I did complete it, I don't think I cared one way or the other if they saw me. My father said that many who have lost their children to it held a much deeper tolerance of the ones to make it though, and as such, no one thought of you as a brat any longer. You were a new person; you could start fresh with your life.

Truth be told, I didn't even want to do it until I heard that. I was planning on running away, but I made the stupid decision to find Father first, and naturally, he stopped me. Maybe once I get back to the Fallen Arm I can find where I stashed his gift.

I wonder if Brodei knows the truth yet. But then again, he doesn't believe in their existence, and I might as well be a filthy Homs in his eyes. In everybody's eyes. Maybe I should tell him. Or, maybe later, when we're away from the rabble of the colony.

He wants to go to Eryth Sea, right? Might as well go the whole way.

Shi's snoring fills my ears as the quiet of the upper floor of the house comes to full realization. I catch Anactro curled up next to him, his arms enwrapping the cast over his amputated leg. Mayni's shadow falls over me from the bed; as soon as Shi suggested staying overnight here, she staked her claim—arresting the bed for a _nice_ sleep was futile. We boys all got the floor, and believe me, it's impossible to rest on with metal for a body.

 _Oh, come on, Sung, get some sleep,_ Brodei moans.

No way. I can't, and besides, who would want to on a surface like this?

 _Ooh, you must'ave grown up so privileged._

I grew up isolated from everyone else my age, there's a difference. You and all your friends probably went camping all the time and slept out under the stars, but not me. I only did that once with my father when there were shooting stars. And he brought pillows. And a blanket.

Lifting a hand to my scalp, I furrow my brow. Then again, maybe the reason I can't sleep is because I can still feel my wings. Should I try sleeping on my front…?

Brodei laughs, which surprises me. _Very funny. I bet you were in a Mechon one time that had wings._

I was in a FAITH unit once, but not an ONION, Brodei.

I sigh. "You want to get to the Bionis' head, right?" I whisper, rolling onto my stomach to make the phantom discomfort go away. "Well, I can get you there." It's so much easier to physically talk to Brodei's soul.

 _You can?_

"You sound so surprised. Yes, I can. But you'd need to talk to your friends in the morning, it has to be _now_."

Anactro moans and mumbles something about Mechon, and I press my lips shut.

 _W-why can't I enjoy my home again for a little bit longer? Why is it always your way?!_

 _Because I'm the dominant species, that's why!_ I snap back, almost saying it out loud. And besides, if we don't leave now, Shulk and Reyn will be that much further ahead of us, and I'm not planning on being on a time crunch.

Brodei only snivels, and I fight to keep him from psychologically storming off on me. _Hey, Brodei,_ I ask, rolling my eyes at how stupid this question is. The only way I can describe it is a test on how much Brodei's figured out about me. If he can accept it now, it'll be better for him once he reaches Eryth Sea. _How do you picture me?_

 _Well, not with wings, that's for sure,_ he half-jokes, half-mocks in reply. _I dunno, actually. Kinda like myself, I guess, I've only ever seen your old body for a couple of minutes._

Even then that wasn't what I originally looked like. That was still someone else. I was in him for a long time, and to be honest, I'm not sure I can fully picture _me_ any longer.

 _That's sad._

Well, it's…

…ah, I have no idea.

I'm going to bed.

 _Wait, Sung!_

I pause before closing my eyes.

 _You said that you're not a Homs,_ the boy says in a borderline whimpering tone.

Yes, I did say that.

 _Are you?_

Sighing, I try to let go of reality and into my dreamscape.

Just picture me as a Homs- _like_ Brodei.

* * *

"Come on, gedup, gedup, gedup!" Mayni screams, leaping up and down on the bed. I cringe and grab at anything to keep me balanced. She stops, looks down at me, sitting by her side, and cracks a smile. "You wanted to talk to everyone."

"I-I did, I did say that," I stammer.

After I got up—well, more like Sung shrieks me awake insisting I corner everyone about what we discussed that night—I noticed that Mayni was already up. She said she couldn't sleep, and we talked for a while. I'm not too sure she trusts Sung, and, quite frankly, I think that is an excellent idea.

"You're being so mean!"

With a frown, I get out of my thoughts to find a groggy Shi and Anactro sitting up. Shi mutters something under his breath and holds his head. " _Geez_ , Mayni, what is it?"

"Wh…what about me being mean, Mum…?" Anactro says. "O-oh—? Mayni, what's up?"

Triumphant, she sits back down next to me at the side of the bed. "Brodei wants to talk to everyone."

"Really?" Anactro crawls over to us and manages to get himself into a criss-cross position.

Shi, with a grumble, also heads on over to us, dragging the blanket that he was wrapped up in last night. "I hope this is decent, I'm tired."

"Decent," Mayni scoffs.

I stretch out my arms before obeying Shi's burning stare at me. "Honestly, Shi, I'm sure Giorgio still opens his shop at six, you could get some breakfast when we're done."

"Fine, that sounds pretty good."

"Ahh, I can smell it already!" my brother says with a laugh.

"But you're paying if you don't listen to Brodei!" At Mayni's chastise, both boys hunch their shoulders and mumble apologizes the only make me laugh harder. She hits my arm. "Stop laughing, you said it was important!"

I wheeze out a hasty reply before trying to get my composure back. "Y-yeah, it is, but…"

 _But nothing! Just talk, Brodei, before I nearly go crazy and do it for you!_ For a moment, I thought it was Mayni who snarked back at me, but it wasn't: it was my good ol' critic.

"Please don't," I say in a very low voice before clearing it hard. "Um, yeah, it is, _but_ I need to say it now or else Sung is gonna go Vang-crazy, so…" My hands clench in my lap, and their gloves squeak at the tightening. "I need to go on a quest. Like, a real one that grown-ups do."

"Like what Brother did?" Shi asks, cocking his head.

"Yeah, actually, exactly what your brother did."

"W-wait, you're going to the Bionis' head?!" I jump at my cousin's sudden shout. "No way, no way, Brother died trying to do that!" he says, beginning to cry. "You're nuts, Brodei, I'm not going along with it!"

"Hear me out!" I scream. He quickly falls silent. "If I don't get back to the Mechonis, I'm going to die. Okay? It's as simple as that, and I figgered that I might as well go the whole distance if I'm ever going to reach Eryth Sea. Now, you can come with me or you can stay here, I don't care if you don't care. Because, Shi, if you're going to make this difficult, then we may very well die trying to reach the top, but guess what? I'm already, so it doesn't matter to me." Pausing to take a breath that shudders my lungs, I continue. "Look, my body can't survive without my Face; I'm just a Core Unit. A Face is like a big Mechon, but with a face on it, okay? Um, I fit inside of it and I pilot it, but my blood runs though the machine, and it keeps me alive, and without it, I'm going to die, you get it? The only thing keeping me upright is Sung's sheer idiocy right now, and even he can't do much."

No one speaks — like they could answer anyway. Mayni's lips downturn, and her brows furrow as soon as I mentioned the Face Mechon.

 _You don't really believe that, do you? You don't even want to go to the Mechonis again, do you?! You'd rather just stop off at Eryth Sea and stay there!_

"But I just got you back," Anactro whimpers out, wiping at his eyes.

Shi, the last person I expected to say anything right away, tries talking, but only manages to get out a stutter. Then: "Come on, Brodei, stop kidding around."

"S-so we're going, right?" I ask hopefully. Mayni only looks up at me before nestling her head in my arm. "I can get medical attention at Eryth Sea, which'll help—w-when we get to the Mechonis."

Dang it. Sung's snark is beginning to get to me.

 _The day Alcamoth gives you medical attention is the day I meet my mother._

"Colony 6," Shi states.

I jolt from my thoughts. "What?"

"That's where Shulk and Reyn said they were going. It takes a long time to get to there, they're probably still on the leg. We could catch up to them!" he adds in a hopeful tone.

Shi's comment stirs nostalgic thoughts in me that make me smile. "Oh yeah. Mum loved visiting her old colony. But… I think it's…" Hesitation catches my tongue, and Mayni gives me a confused expression.

"Ah, we haven't been to see Colony 6 in years," Anactro hums, "it'd be great to pass though there."

" _Well, we have to,_ " Sung says with a dead smile. " _To get to the Bionis' head and thus the Mechonis, we must detour though Satorl Marsh and Makna Forest; hopefully we won't have to take the Bionis' Left Shoulder. It's a bit desolate and abandoned, but hopefully I can get us past the_ _N_ _opon and avoid the entire thing._ "

The trio only stare at me, and I shove Sung aside. "Look, I have no idea, but Sung's traveled around the Bionis a lot in the past, so he knows where we're going. Trust me, we won't have to worry about getting lost or hurt!" I grin widely. "So whatdaya think?"

My brother only sighs. "Brodei, I can't."

I repeat my one-word utterance dumbly. "What?"

"I couldn't keep up with my crutches, Brodei. Besides, I haven't gotten used to them yet, and Cheryl doesn't want me leaving the Anti-Air Batteries." Anactro says with a sigh, gazing just past my shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Shi abruptly stumbles to his feet. His blanket drops with a _thunk_ around his ankles, and he waves his hands as if coming up with some grand old scheme that's saved us on more than a few occasions. "W-we could build Anactro a new leg!"

Gasping, Mayni pulls away from me. "Yeah! With silky silk from Sonia, and Mechon parts from the scrap yard!"

"And some wood from the Wood Bunnits outside the colony!"

Anactro's mouth gapes as he looks up at the two friends. "You don't have to do that."

" _Yeah_!" they cheer simultaneously.

I only grin in response and look over toward my brother. "You know it's pointless to try to stop them."

"Ahaa, yeah," Anactro cocks a smile. "But it's still fun to try."

" _Yeah_ …" I, knitting my fingers together behind my head and laying down, reply in imitation to their screams. The bed feels soft and supportive of my heavier body, in stark comparison with the floor, and I close my eyes.

Memories of Eryth Sea's crystal waters and star-spotted skies float to mind. I recall the breeze, carrying the fresh scent of flowers along for the ride. Shooting stars rain though the atmosphere, and as it does so, the wind kicks up, and my heavy headwings shift to follow it. A man grins down at me and shifts the blanket so it's higher up on my shoulders.

 _Shut up!_ Sung gasps. _You're doing it again, just like with those Arachno in Tephra Cave!_

You did the same thing back in Central Factory before you realized your mistake.

 _But that wasn't from y—!_

I cut him off with a single punch to my chest.

"Just wait until you reach Eryth Sea, Anactro. It's beautiful."

* * *

"Hey, Mayni! Shi!" I call out, running toward them.

Shi blusters a surprised, off-put greeting before smiling at me. "Hey. I didn't think you'd be up." He chuckles and lowers the bloodied dagger in his hands, lifting one to scratch at his cheek. "What's up? You wanna help us out or somthin'?"

"In a sense," I purse my lips and glance over toward Mayni, clutching a piece of wood dropped from one of the Bunnivs at their feet. "Did you guys…train or something while I was gone…?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah."

 _Wow, your friends are pretty neat, Brodei. Not the wimps I thought they were,_ Sung says in approval. I only roll my eyes.

"We got scared and thought that you were gonna die in Tephra Cave, so we trained with Reyn to get stronger and fight the monsters in there to save you!" Mayni says, swinging the wood hard. "Hahaha!"

"It was Anactro's idea. He figured we could all use the survival skills." With a shrug, Shi glances up at the sky, peaking out from above the leaves of the tree the two attacked the Bunnivs at. The sunlight lights up parts of his face in bright shards. "It's how we managed to get so far into Tephra Cave to find you."

I can't get any words to come out, so I only nod and grab the driver, slung against my back, that Reyn gave me. "How many wood pieces did you manage to get, Mayni? Shi?" I ask.

"Just 2," she replies, pouting, "Shi says that's not enough."

"Well, I'm sure that…" I start.

Shi cuts in and begins wiping the knife off on his tunic with a cold air of calmness. "He'll need more."

Frustration wells in me, but I shove it back down. "O-okay, if you insist. I guess if you're building it you'd know best."

"That's right." He sheathes the dagger, pauses, and looks back up at me. "There's some more Bunnivs up ahead. We can keep taking this path up to Tephra Cave."

Mayni croons a "yes, sir" before following along diligently, grabbing my hand. A laugh escapes Shi, and he heads forward in a stride that I've never seen him walk with before I got turned into a Core Unit. "And then we'll go to the scrap yard, Shi?"

"Of course, Mayni. But we can't go dragging around Mechon parts while we're fighting Bunnivs!"

"That'd be a bit hard," I agree with a chortle.

Her hand tightens around mine, and a look of surprise crosses her face. "Your hand's cold. And really stiff." Mayni frowns as concern flares up in her eyes.

"That's because you grabbed my fake hand. Don't worry about it, as long as the glove's on you don't have to fret about the ether barbs."

"Oh!" My friend dashes around me and clutches at my other one. I quickly stop as she cuts me off. "Sorry!"

"I-it's fine, um, Shi—"

Shi's grunt as he lunges forward gets our attention. "Try to keep up!" he snaps ahead of us. I gasp and tighten my fingers around Mayni's hand to prevent her from jumping in as my cousin staggers from a sharp _wack_ of the Bunniv's tail.

"Shi—!"

Clenching his teeth, Shi backsteps before he slams his knife into the Bunniv. It screams as it goes down, spraying a crimson liquid as it thrashes and goes still. "Come on, who cares about Brodei's stupid hand! It's just how he eats. It's weird and stupid, it's just like those Mechon…" He grunts as he wipes at his face with a trembling hand, his breaths ragged and labored. "Help out for once, okay?"

"I-I'm sorry, I saw it start to attack, and I…"

Shi bends down and snatches the plank of wood from the animal's stiff tail. "Mayni does't need support." He scoffs. "As a Mechon, you ought to know better than that."

"Ah, but I never— Shi, this is my first time out!"

As a Mechon?

 _Ah._

"I don't want to hear it."

I can only stare at him.

What _happened_?

Mayni looks down, shame burning her freckles. "Sorry," she says.

" _You're turning into an effective war machine, Shi_ _,_ " Sung calls out. By my side, Mayni's shoulders slump.

He stops his stride up the path's slope and glances down at my chest before responding. "Yeah, I guess," Shi replies tactfully. "Are you going or staying?"

"Staying." No matter what Brodei says — not like I care, personally, but he likes being with his friends, and if Shi is this ruthless in the heat of battle, than I like it too.

The boy shrugs. "Fine. Let's just hope you're at least more decent in battle than Brodei is, eh?"

"Heh," Letting go of Mayni's hand, I sprint to catch up to him. "You have no idea."

Shi dashes off the path and climbs up onto a hill. "Come on, I see some more!"

"Wait, Shi, three should be enough!" Mayni whines as she heads on up after us.

I glance toward the rest of Colony 9 and the twin hills a few meters away, and suddenly that dilapidated colony looks more than a little welcoming. "Hey, I think Mayni's right. We should just stick with three, Shi—"

The Homs boy's piercing scream stops my words cold. Mayni outcries and sprints toward the hilltop. "Shi!"

From behind the rock at the top, Shi stumbles backward, his hands clutching at his gut. My breathing turns sharp as a much larger Bunnit swings its tail at the boy, and instinctually, I grab the driver off my back and slam it into the animal. "Shi! I got you!"

He looks up and his trembling lips struggle to form words.

"It's fine," I reassure, making sure I'm posed in front of him. "You said Mayni could handle herself, right? Mayni! Come on, you can do this!"

Mayni shrieks and hits at a Bunniv advancing toward us. "No, no, no, no, no!" The tears sliding down her face make me panicked, and before I could even think about it, I put away the driver and grab both her and Shi's wrists, dragging them with me off the edge of the hill.

Shi collapses, and Mayni helps get him onto my back. Hand in hand, we race down the slope — until my knee buckles.

"Ahh—!"

The ground gives way and spins around me, roiling up and down like that time when Nemesis crashed into Gaur Plains—

I bounce to a stop at the base of the hill, my breathing ragged. Mayni's face comes into view as her eyes reach mine. "Are you okay?!"

"Geez, some trip, Sung…" Shi mutters quietly. His voice aches with pain.

"Ahh, my leg gave out again… Is that Bunnit still following us?"

Mayni looks up, presumably past me and to the hill. "No," she replies.

"Good," With a grunt, I push myself to my knees and only groan. "Are you alright, Shi?"

The boy crawls out from behind me and sits down next to Mayni. Blood stains the front of his shirt, and he quickly lifts it up. A sigh escapes his mouth. "I'm fine, it just grazed me." Mayni laughs, though it sounds less humored and more insane. Shi's harmonizes with hers, but my head aches too much for me to join in, as much as Brodei would like to.

* * *

"Okay, Anactro, give me your leg," Shi says, squinting at the sunset rays hitting his face though the window of Dickson's house. The blood crusted around Shi's eye becomes more visible, and my heart sinks at seeing it — I wish he cared enough to at least clean himself up.

Anactro, with a frown, extends the stump out and purses his lips at Shi's hands unwrapping it from its bandages. "You're covered in blood, Shi."

"I know. It's fine. Hey, Anact?" He sighs and looks up at him. Shi smiles. "Don't worry about it."

"Well, at least bathe," he says. At that, his cousin chortles.

The smell of Mayni's shampooed hair wafts to my nose, and I lean into her in curiosity. "I didn't realize Dickson used Dawn Hydrangeas to wash his hair."

The girl giggles at that. "No, Brodei, I went home first!"

I pull away. "Ah. I-it smells nice."

"But hey, despite you missing everything, you picked some nice Dance Apples, Brodei." Shi tosses one in the air before biting into it. "I'm glad they were in the market today, though it's a pity you opted not to go to the scrap yard with us." Cracking a smile, he hands one to Anactro. His smile irks me—it's cocky and arrogant; I wish I knew when he decided to act like he was better than all of us. Sure, he always kinda was better than us, but he was so much humbler about it before I disappeared.

"No way, I needed a bed!" I say.

"Even with a Mechon body?"

"Yes, Shi. Not all of me are metal parts, like, for instance, my face?"

He only raises his eyebrows and continues fitting Anactro's prosthetic. A slight croon utters from Mayni as she reaches up to touch a rather tender— _and the size of Satorl!_ —bruise across my cheek. I grimace. "You look terrible, by the way," Shi says.

" _Thanks_." I yelp as Shi throws a Dance Apple at me, and I catch it faster than I had ever caught anything in my life. My eyebrows raise in surprise at the reflex before I take off my glove. It still feels awkward eating around everyone, but they seemed more curious than afraid; when we ate last night, I had to explain it or else I was gonna starve.

Shi hisses in joy as he completes buckling the straps helping to hold the false leg to his knee. "Okay! It should be good now. We'll just have to make sure the arachno silk holds up at your amputation site."

Anactro beams as his cousin helps him stand up. I release my held breath when I see that Shi isn't letting him fall. "Thanks. I'm sure it will." He begins to laugh. "I have another foot again!"

I duck my head and cackle at that, and Mayni cheers. "Huzzah!"

"Time for Operation Save Brodei!"

Joy floods my body, and I jerk my head back up again. "So you're going?!"

"Of course! Since you all so nicely made me a prosthetic to go~…"

"Yeah, so you better not waste it," Shi retorts, handing him a cane, like what Dionysis uses.

"Never, good sir." Anactro replies in a silly voice. "This is great, I could even go back to my Defense Force training now!"

I stretch Brodei's lips into a false smile. " _Of course._ "

* * *

"So, we're going now?" Anactro looks out past the cliff edge and toward the colony, bathed in bright moonlight. "Um, we forgot toothbrushes again, didn't we? We always forget our toothbrushes whenever we go camping."

Shi slaps his shoulder. "Stop stalling! Like we have time or clean water to waste."

"Yay, we don't hafta brush!" Mayni says.

"Ugh, though I wish…" I mutter, feeling that my breath may be rather unappealing to Mayni.

He sighs. "Do we have everything?"

"Not toothbrushes," Anact replies automatically, then sniggers.

"Besides toothbrushes?" Shi adds dryly.

A thoughtful look crossing her face, Mayni follows Anactro's stare at the colony. "Aw, Shi, your mom's gonna be really upset."

"I-I know. I explained it. It's all for Brodei's sake, that's all. It's not for some silly recreation," he says. My chest stings at that—though I can say nothing. Sung doesn't say anything either, but I'm sure he'd love to.

I twist my mouth into a smile. You know, I _could_ get medical attention at Eryth Sea.

 _You wish._

Shi continues. "U-uh, we have rations and our weapons, and money and water…"

"And Rainbow Slugs!"

"Yes, Mayni, we brought Rainbow Slugs."

Inhaling to try to piece back together my lost composure, I nod. "Then let's go."

All three turn from the colony and press their lips into determined smiles, and together, we stride into Tephra Cave.


	10. You Must Be Willing to Look Away

Mayni, breathing hard from the battle against the clan of arachno just behind us, sheaves her dagger and stops to observe our surroundings. Tall, pale pillars arch to the ceiling, water roaring in the background. "Whoa!" she says.

Anactro, with a whistle, limps forward before stopping by her side. "Oh man, I wish we could've gone this far into Tephra Cave earlier, this is so cool! Hey, Mayni," The girl turns around. "Imagine playing one of our water games here!"

"Oohhhh!"

I only scoff and cross my arms. "It's just Vilia Lake. There's nothing special about it, I've seen better things at Satorl Marsh."

Brodei's brother blinks. "Who?"

"Nothing!"

"Geez, who twisted your trousers into a knot today?" Shi remarks. He gives me a hard stare. "You had a nasty night's sleep or something?"

"My sleep habits are of no concern of yours," I reply. "Besides, you try sleeping with a body made of Mechon parts." Not like that's all bad, granted, but I really couldn't tell Shi about my psychological headwings. He didn't seem to believe anything even relatively shocking earlier—which is quite the surprise coming from the supposed scientist.

 _You mention that fact to the point where it's annoying even me._

With a mutter, he stalks off to join the other two children. "Maybe I outta dissect you for a change."

Mayni points up to the pathway at the top of the cave, which stops both our bickering. "Do you think that's the exit?"

I pause. To be honest, I really wouldn't know.

 _You've never been into Tephra Cave except for when you messed up with Mumkhar?_

"It could be," I say, not bothering to give Brodei the pleasure of a response. A booming echo cuts off whatever more I was about to say.

"What was that?" Mayni says with a stammer.

"We should get moving!" She cries out as I go to push her forward, only for me to stop at Shi's shrill scream.

"Come on, come on, come on!" Now it's Shi shoving us. "I saw a shadow, it's probably more arachno!"

The light dies from my chest. "Oh no, just like before…" I moan.

With a shout, Mayni grabs my hand and dives behind me. "Ah! It's scary, it's scary…"

As Shi pushes him, Anactro yells as he trips over my leg, and all four of us collapse into a heap. The shadows dancing on the walls continue to flicker with the traders' lamps, but whatever shadow Shi saw was just our own.

"M-maybe we should hurry…" she says.

"But how can I cross the water?!" I gasp, realizing that where we needed to go ignored Mechon parts. And the last time I got wet, I wound up bedridden with Sung's tinkering.

My cousin moans. "I don't know, Sung—Brodei, augh! You keep changing, why can't you just stay as someone!"

I flinch away at his snap. "I can't help Sung's whims, Shi," I reply, shame burning my face. The other two remain silent. "Would you rather Sung stayed out?" I have to choke back my tears at the question.

Shi scoffs and climbs to his feet. "Well, at least Sung is stronger. He isn't exactly afraid of a little blood," he says with a smirk. "But," My friend shrugs. "I like hanging out with you more, Brodei." At that, I smile weakly.

With a groan, Anactro rubs his false leg. "Ah… Maybe we should set up camp? We could think about what to do about Brodei's body," he suggests, glancing up at us. Mayni nods eagerly. "Um, okay. Shi, Mayni, could you maybe get a fire started? I-I need to rest my leg, I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Act. I'll help them out, okay?"

"Thanks, Brodei." He hobbles over to the cavern wall and sits down. I watch as he removes his leg, then turn my attention back to the others. As I hear Mayni shout at Shi, a little Homs-like Brodei inside of me tells me that this will be a long night.

* * *

 _"_ _I don't believe we've yet met formally." The golden-haired man smiles at me. I purse my lips back._

 _My mother steps forward and chuckles. "I apologize for my son, Lord Zanza. He's a bit…" Her gaze falls only me. Watches me. "…Meekly tongued at times."_

 _"_ _That's one word for it," Father says with a quiet laugh. "Um, Sung?" He crouches down to meet me at eye level. As he does so, his headwings jitter. "You know what we discussed back at Hovering Reef 10? That the Bionis that we live on is a living creature, just like we are?"_

 _"_ _You call him Sung?" the_ _ghost-like_ _Homs asks. "What a curious nickname for a High Entia."_

 _I remain quiet. Then I shrug. "Yes, Father, I remember. What about it?"_

 _"_ _Well—"_

I jerk as Sung snarls something at me. Then he mumbles some sort of apology and falls asleep again. Combing through Sung's memories is so much easier when he's asleep. I never thought much about his sleeping habits—only that he was a night ansel and would keep me up. It's weird how tonight he can't stay awake.

Closing my eyes, I try to dive back into that one, with the Homs called Zanza. Only, I can't focus on it any longer. Sung's word choices slip into mine all the time nowadays, and his slang is strange; perhaps Zanza is a sort of powerful person that Sung's colony worshipped or something.

Who am I kidding? I've heard his thoughts so many times by now. Felt that heavy sensation at the sides of my head that he always so tactfully complains about. Sung's…father, I guess, had wings in those same places. I doubt Sung is even a Homs, let alone comes from a colony like Colony 9. The Homs called him a High Entia? Weren't those the species that they tell in stories? I can never see what he looks like in his memories. For all I know, his parents look that way and he's adopted!

But I doubt that. What he said, that he had half-siblings… Mayni has a half-sister who lives somewhere on the Bionis, I remember her explaining it to me once. One parent has a child with another Homs. The child shares half of your blood from the parent. Sung's mother looked like the best suspect; I mean, I hate to sound mean and all, but the way she dressed was so immodest. Mum always insisted she had to look her nicest, and how that woman was dressed was anything but nice like Mum.

I smile a little. To be honest, his dad looks like me and Anactro's. Sorta always meek and flustered about something…

My smile fades.

Oh. Right.

I try to find a new memory to infiltrate without his knowing about it. I shift through birthdays—they must have celebrated quarter-birthdays for Sung, lucky guy, he has so many—a few ceremonies, that nice memory of Eryth Sea, then stop as Sung moans something out.

 _What are you doing…?_

"Ah—!" I say, then catch myself and lower my voice. Mayni, curled up with Shi at the tiny campfire, snorts in her sleep a few meters away. "S-sorry—"

 _I can't, I won't do that, I don't want to help the likes of you! Why?!_

Sung?

 _Why did you have to kill Father?!_

My face bleaches, and suddenly I wish I could run away from the voice in my head. As Sung begins to cry, so do I.

A green glow blinds my vision for a moment. The boy inside of me shrieks, then falls silent. His heavy breathing slows again.

I glance around. The others have yet to awaken, which means that Sung's scream was just for me to hear. Thankfully, he's keeping his nightmare to himself.

"T-that's weird, though…" I say, drawing my knees up. "What was that light, then?"

The cavern veils in darkness as I close my eyes. It's getting easier and easier to think up his memories; I barely have to force anything now. One, with a sickening colored light that floods someone's body, immediately comes to mind. But as I try to access it, it quickly disappears into the shadows of Sung's mind.

I rest my shoulders back. A part of me is relieved that I cannot recollect that particular memory— _just the sight of Father's death is enough to make me sick all over again_.


	11. And Willing to Turn Toward

Shi peers at the waters of Vilia Lake with distant perplexmxent in his gaze. The water ripples as he reaches down a thin finger to touch it. As if flinching in response, his reflection warps and twists, then grows deathly still once again. "I think I have an idea, Brodei," he calls from the lake edge.

"You do?" I perk up away from the liquid that fascinates Shi so much and head over to him. "What's your plan?" Mayni also looks up, a great beam flashing onto her face. Her hands fall away from Anactro's false leg, where a few scratches mark the days gone by—so far, the pair of them have noted down three.

With a frown, I look back at my cousin. I wonder how Shi's parents are doing. They're probably worried sick, like how my friends were when I disappeared.

Shi's face grows dark, and he kicks out at the water. "Nope. Water's too deep to carry you across." Hissing out an obscenity, he goes back to thinking. Stroking his reflection in the water. Pondering over the frenetic ripples.

"Aw, I had that idea first!" Mayni says with a teasing pout.

He lashes out at the water again, this time with the heel of his hand. "Think, Shi, think…!"

Suddenly shouting, Mayni throws herself to her feet and leaps up and down. Shi jumps, gasps, and barely catches himself, and Anactro collapses from his crouched position. I twitch and clench my hand into a tight fist as I feel Sung trying to take control of my body—trying to run away.

 _What was that, why did that foolish girl have to shriek?! I-I thought…_

Sung, I want to shriek.

"Ah!" my brother's voice, rising a pitch or three, squeaks out.

"Sorry, Anact!" she says, pulling him up as she giggles. "No, I had an idea, I had an idea! So, you know when I lived here, and we played water games all the time~?"

"Yeah," I say with a frown, brushing aside my cobalt hair so it's out of my eyes. "Wasn't that just a year ago?"

She shrugs, looking bothered. "Shi told me I should live with him while we find you, he said it was too dangerous, but um…" Nodding, she points past the path we came, where the arachno rest. "I lived right up there!" Mayni dashes away, and Shi yips, nearly slipping as he stands on the water puddle he's been amassing. "Come on!"

We boys all run after her as she rushes past our smoldering fire. " _Mayni, wait_!" Sung screams.

I sprint on ahead of my brother and cousin, my hand drifting across the side of the cave before I duck into the path beyond the traders' lampposts. Mayni stops shortly ahead of me and pauses, confusion crossing her face. "What's wrong, Brodei?"

"S-Sung, sorry, h-he's paranoid," I say, forcing a smile. "Um, it's still me, um…"

"I know, Brodei," she replies.

The other two make it to us, Shi snarling under his breath and rubbing at his scuffed knees, and Anactro looking at him like he's killed his pet Krabble. "I don't think I remember Cheryl saying words like that."

He shakes his head as his only intelligent reply. Anactro cracks up.

Mayni gestures, and we all follow as she skips past the spider carcasses—legs turned up and clenched in as if forever in great pain—and the shattered cocoons. She then turns toward the only dead end in the area: a tall ridge leading up to brightly sparkling ether crystals. They seem to reflect in her eyes as she continues to prod her finger in the air at it. "That's it, up there! I know we can get to the exit from this path, 'cause I saw the scary bone place when I was exploring, and I heard from some Defense Force soldiers that the scary bone place leads to the top!" The girl proclaims this so proudly that even Sung seems impressed.

Until he opens his mouth, that is. _Wow, and now you're all going to join those bones in the scary place!_

Shut…up.

"How do we get up there, Mayni…?" Shi asks, casting her a condescending look.

Mayni's completely unfazed, and her freckles seem to burn under her joyful expression. "We'll climb on top of each other! Like that time Shulk climbed onto Reyn to get my stuffed Krabbie when _Shi_ threw it up too high!"

He flinches at her glare, and I only chuckle—she looks cuter when she's angry.

 _I don't know, she reminds me of my mother when she's angry._

I roll my eyes.

"Wasn't a ladder here for you?" Anactro asks, blustering out a sigh as he looks up the high ledge.

"Yeah, but Dicky needed it again," is Mayni's only reply. She reaches out and grabs Shi's hand, and I twitch. "Come on, get up there! We need to climb on you~!"

"What?!" he outcries, ripping it away. "I can't hold Brodei's weight! Why can't he be at the bottom?"

Mayni stops, tips her head up as if in great thought, then sharply nods. I moan and slouch over to where she points: small scuffs in the rock directly below the edge, probably where the ladder used to sit. I was really hoping they forgot about that by now…

 _I don't believe they could ever just_ forget _your body, Brodei,_ Sung says, biting back a laugh.

I bend down onto one knee and allow Shi to climb up onto me. He wobbles, clenches his teeth, and clings tight to my head, his legs twisting and practically choking me. I wince as his fingernails dig into my skin. "S-Shi, you don't have to hold on that tightly—!"

He ignores my comment.

Mayni murmurs something behind me, and I feel her cold hands brush against my head before she digs her heel into my thigh and plants her other foot on my shoulder. Shi heaves as she gets up around his neck. I attempt to look up, and I barely can catch a glimpse of her fingers grasping the top. My heart soars.

"Okay, now stand up, Brodei!" she commands.

I gasp something out and heft myself and two other Homs to my feet. Shi lets out a scream and clings tighter to me, and Mayni shrieks in delight. Half of the weight on me alleviates, and my friend throws her head down.

"It worked, it worked!" Her hands grasp at Shi's, and she yanks him up.

Anactro shifts in his spot next to me. "What do I do?" he asks, looking up.

"Get onto Brodei, and um…" For once, she loses her confidence. "We'll pull you up!"

"'Kay!"

"Hang on tight, Act," I say, helping him up. He only nods, his face twisted tight in concentration. The two up top make animalistic noises as they pull, and as the heaviness lifts from my upper body, Anactro laughs. Exhaling in relief, I stand upright and stretch. "All right, now…how do I get up?"

The trio all stare down at me with wide eyes. Then Mayni, once more, puts on a hat of utter, cocky "Relax, I know what I'm doing." "Shi, get behind me and grab my legs. Anactro, hold down Shi's back. When I say it, pull me back!"

Getting onto her stomach, the girl extends out her hands. Her dark, golden hair flutters in front of her face. I breathe out before grabbing the waiting hands and pushing myself up, using the rock wall as leverage.

"Pull me!"

The boys exclaim and begin yanking at Mayni. I yip as my feet slip, leaving me kicking out at empty air. My ears begin to ring. Mayni shouts in surprise—then everything calms. My knees hit solid ground.

I swiftly glance behind my shoulder, where the remainder of Tephra Cave rests below a very steep drop. Mayni clutches at me in a smothering hug, and we both exhale. Shi and Arachno shoot looks behind them in confusion.

With a stand, we gaze off into the darkness beyond, barely lit by the ether crystal.

"There's a super cool house back there, it's where I lived!" Mayni says excitedly. "There's a spidey and Shura and a cozy throne!"

"A-another spider?" Shi asks. "I thought we already killed them all."

"Yes~, and noooo, Shi."

He groans and reaches for his dagger, its blade stained with dried blood, again. "I hate arachno, I hate them, I hate them, I hate them!"

"Likewise," I mutter.

"Ohhh, you're gonna kill her?! Don't kill her! She's like my mommy!"

" _Agreed,_ " My eyes flash green, and Shi and Anactro jump a little, then relax. Shi rolls his eyes. " _Arachno can be very gentle depending on how you treat them._ "

Shi scoffs and tosses his ragged blond hair aside as he glowers at me. "Whatever, Sung."

"No, I'm very serious—"

"And I don't care."

Brodei moans, exasperated, inside my head. _Why do you always have to butt in?_

Closing my eyes, I only exhale. _Because I have valuable information to disclose._

I blink in surprise and shout to catch up to the others, who have suddenly disappeared. "Hey!" I stammer. "H-hey, where did you—"

A hand touches my shoulder, and I jump. "Sung," a soft voice rasps.

Whipping around to face whoever's speaking, my face stares back next to the ether crystal. Or, rather, my old face.

Xanath.

His piercing blue eyes gaze at me through dead, hollow sockets, his usual mess of black hair tangled and matted in spots. The grey lacing through it remains in stark contrast, starker than the last time I saw him as my reflection. He seems thinner—his jaw matches the gauntness of his cheekbones, an ill pallor dimming whatever natural hues of brown his skin used to have.

My most recent body.

I feel sick as I lock eyes with him.

"It's like I'm…looking at my reflection," he says, rubbing his arms. Identical armor wraps around them much like my own. "except this time you're not there inside of me." A smile flickers to his face. "I used to pray for the day." Xanath tugs at his gloves, which seem too big on him now. As he moves, his body shivers. His eyes drift to the floor and hold there for a long moment. Then they look back at me—waiting for words.

My lips tremble. "X-Xanath—? Xanath, I thought…I thought you were dead. I thought that's why—"

"Why Vanea gave you a new _home_?" Xanath finishes, voice turning icy. I stiffen. "Do you really think I had died midway through our Sleep? That I just stopped?"

"Well," I falter, then snap my gaze away.

He only wheezes out a laugh that chills me to the bone. "Sung, where are you going to take this next one? Alcamoth? As far as Sword Valley? He looks so much younger than I was."

"How did you get here?" is all I can force out of my mouth.

"I wandered from the Fallen Arm. Egil dropped me off there after Vanea completed the soul transfer." Xanath shrugs. "Linada took care of me until I could make it onto the Bionis with Junks."

"No, no, that's impossible, s-she told me she didn't know how to—"

"That was back then! I can make it outside of Nemesis now!"

Listening to him speak, it's as if I'm talking to myself.

"I wanted to get home. I hadn't seen my mama in so long."

"Xanath…Xanath, that's impossible."

He's silent, staring at me. His mouth moves as if to say something—but it never comes. Then: "I know." Tears stream down his face, and he shakes it hard, droplets flying in the air. "I know, I know!" Xanath pauses, his rib cage, with the metal plating scarred from where I used to be stored, heaving for breath. He wipes frantically at his eyes. "I've been gone for fifty-two years." Tearing his stare upward, his shock-blue irises, framed with red corneas, burn a hole into me. "I want to s-s-see my mama…"

Brodei, trapped within me, begins to kick out, his efforts increasing becoming more violent. I shove him down. This isn't your battle, Brodei.

It will never be your battle.

"Xanath, I'm sorry," I say numbly.

"Please…"

"Sung? Sung~," Mayni calls. Her voice echoes in the distance behind me. Discordant footsteps pound, and Mayni, Shi, and Anactro's heaving gasps brush against my ear. She pauses by my side, blinking in confusion. "Who's this…?"

Xanath fights to keep a dead smile on his face. "Hello. I'm Sung's ghost, hehehehee."

Then she gasps, a bright light flashing in her eyes. Xanath flinches away and steps back. "You were the one to help us! When we pulled up Brodei!"

"Oh…" he says in a pathetic tone.

Anactro smiles reassuringly at him, and Xanath's protective posture slumps a little. "What's your name?" Brodei's brother asks in soft tones. Shi folds his arms next to me.

"Why do you care?" he whimpers.

Xanath cries out as Mayni embraces him in a hug. "You're sad, no sad tears."

"No, no…" He breaks down sobbing in her arms. His hands grip the clothing at her back, clenching them in what I can only suppose is agony. "Please… Just kill me now, please, I can't…"

Mayni closes her eyes.

"We're not going to kill you, Xanath," I say.

With a grimace, Shi turns away and exhales. His pallor has become sickly. "You look like Brodei."

"Is that your name for him? Brodei? Does Sung even care?" Xanath asks.

I scowl at Shi's suspicious glance my way. "Of course I do."

"Do you?! Then, if you do, you'd let him go, you'd go away, no one wants you anymore!" he screams. Whimpering, I backstep, and Anactro grabs my arm. He looks as if he's about to cry as well. "You warped my mind! I can't go one step without thinking about things that I shouldn't know! I can't say anything without realizing how different I sound! Even if Mama was alive, she would not recognize me any longer! She would not l-love… Please…"

Mayni holds her head close to his. "Your mommy will always love you, Xani."

"How can she when I'm a monster!"

"I bet your mommy was a wonderful lady."

"Y-yes."

"How can any mommy hate her child?"

Anactro glances down, sniveling. I slip away into the darkest corner of my consciousness and allow Brodei to finally come back to the forefront. _I can't deal with this. Not now._

He blinks dully as I begin sobbing. Xanath looks up and locks eyes with me. "Are you Brodei?"

I nod.

"Will you help me get back to Linada?" The boy, around Shi's age, gasps between his tears. "She's the only mama I have now."

"You should join us, Xanath," Shi says.

He pauses, averts his eyes, then grips Mayni's tunic tighter. She begins to rock back and forth—the only one calm among the storm.

Shifting in my spot, I purse my lips to try to steady them. "We're heading to the Mechonis, anyway."

"I've been down here so long, I couldn't find my colony, I've been trying to double back this whole time. Then I saw you guys, and you reminded me of m-my friends. I want friends again."

I stop, taken aback by his sudden request. Then I break out in a grin. "We wouldn't have it any other way, Xanath."

He smiles. Genuinely, this time.

 **4tsloid: From a writer to another writer, I appreciate your advice! Thank you so much! :)**


	12. When Things Go Dire

_"_ _To find where Mumkhar wanted to meet…from the Heavenly Window…I'd have to pass through the Bone Corridor. I can't say it's a very friendly place. Oh well. I suppose it cannot be helped."_

* * *

As we enter a yawning cavern, I stiffen at the sight of the Bone Corridor, its bleached stone damp with mildew and waste from the quadwings and vangs above us.

Xanath casts me a glance. His face remains shrouded by Tephra's walls, and while his gaze must be kindly in intention, the darkness over it screams otherwise. "What's wrong, Brodei? Have you been here before?"

"Eh? Um, no, no. Not me."

He smirks and continues forward. "I bet Sung has, though."

Sung only snorts inside of me. _He's perceptive, I'll give him that._

 _Is that true?_ I bite back.

 _Well, of course. But…_

 _Wait, how did you make it through the cave to begin with?_

 _Um, your body…it's different,_ he replies vaguely. _Nothing would attack me._

"No, not Sung, either. I must'a dreamed it or something!" I say.

"Ooh, I bet it was a scary dream," Mayni says. Her hands compulsively rub her arms. "It's cold here."

Barking out a laugh, Shi replies, "Just cold?" Anactro shivers and shakes his head.

"I want a Rainbow Slug," Mayni abruptly moans. "Can't we stop here?"

None of us say anything in reply as we stare out at the open cave. A light unseen filters through, making the whole place even more creepy than it should be. Xanath looks away. "I came here…once, I think. On a mission, Egil needed me to…" His fingers itch at an old scar, stark against his jawline. "Ah, I don't remember."

"So that means that Sung really has been here before," I murmur.

 _You're the one that lied, not me, Brodei._

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess. Maybe we should take a break, um," He leans in closer to Mayni, "What do Rainbow Slugs taste like…?"

She perks up, but Anactro is quick to shush them both. "We don't have time to take a break. We gotta keep going, Brodei doesn't have that much time left." I nod. "Besides, there're vangs over there. If they hear us, we're not gonna be coming back," he says, his voice dipping and becoming very low. "So let's get going, stay low so those things don't see us."

" _They're called quadwings_ ," Sung replies. I cough something out and bang on the metal plate, and Sung retreats back to the corner of my mind to snarl something.

Xanath scowls and shoves past me.

"Wait, be quiet—!" Anactro says. He hastily gestures, and we move against the wall. Frowning, Xanath ducks to the ground and makes it over to us. "Ready to follow carefully?" he asks him. The boy nods. "Good."

The light lapses into shade as we pass underneath a rocky overhang. Columns like a rib cage cast broken shadows on the ground underneath our feet. In what feels like an eternal crawl, the overhang drops off, leaving us completely out in the open. Mayni's body begins to tremble now, but she still keeps that smile glued onto her face. "Okay, we're almost there~," she says, trying to bring back her hum. I put an arm around her shoulder and rest my head on it, and she snivels, returning the gesture. "I can't wait to get outta here."

Shaking himself, Anactro looks back down from the black "sky" above us and presses his lips together. "I know, Mayni." He pauses, then moves his head up, then down. "Okay, now do The Caterpile!" He drops to the stone, and Xanath follows suit. Mayni straightens in surprise, then does the same, and my cousin sighs before easing to the floor.

"The Caterpile…?"

We start forward, and I cringe every time me and Xanath's armor scrapes against the rock. However, the sounds are only amplified to me; nothing seems to hear them.

The quadwing above us looms closer as we crawl forward on our stomachs (or lack, thereof). I can see, out of the corner of my eye, Anactro's hands tightening together in front of him, Xanath's black hair falling in front of his face and causing him to scramble to get it out of his eyes. Shi never stops wheezing out a comfort mantra he's uttered since he was little.

My chest tightens—a sobbing whimper escapes Mayni—when it screeches out a call, but then it flaps its heavy, powerful wings and glides away from us. We hurry to move faster, and Anactro motions for us to halt.

The quadwing throws its head toward us, stares. Its eyes never cease watching. Then it turns away and continues observing the surrounding cave, and all five of us scramble forward.

 _Come on, keep moving…_

The vangs above us mindlessly fly, never hearing us. The quadwings never see us.

Near the end of the corridor, a warmer glow pulsates at an exit, and we all look up. Relief practically pours down Mayni's bleached face. "It's so close…" she whispers.

Only one last vang stands between us and the exit. Its bluish, webbed wings seem a bit different than the others, but a vang is a vang, no matter its color.

Anactro nods once, then moves to his feet and slips forward. Shi stands and pulls Xanath upright, and I help Mayni. She rubs at her raw knees, then brings a grin to her face and pumps her fists— "Battle scars," she mouths. I chortle silently in return.

The vang turns to the blackness around us, and we all rush past him. Shi trips, swears, and gets back to his feet—the creature never notices his sharp mutter. Breathing out, Shi hurries now, his boots not making a sound. He glances up at the vang as he passes by, then rushes the rest of the distance, to where we all wait at the lighted tunnel.

It turns back around.

Sung breaks through my hold on him, shouts—

—as the vang divebombs Shi.

Shi lets out a scream and sprints the remaining distance, his legs pumping, chest heaving. He stumbles as he turns around and grabs his dagger from behind his back.

Grunting, he blocks the attack and digs a heel into the ground. Mayni screams and shakes her head, wailing out a protest. Xanath twitches his eyes to the cave behind us before grabbing the driver hanging on his side and lunging forward.

"No, no, what sounds did we make?!"

"I don't think this one reacts to sound!" I say back, grabbing my own driver.

We glance at each other. "It seems Sung has his own weapons preference." Then he slams it into the vang's head. It recoils, then shrieks out a noise that shatters to nothingness.

Shi's mouth opens as he hugs his own head. I grab him, Anactro grabs me, and Mayni grabs Anactro—then we're all running. We run past an entire hoard of bunnivs, who turn fierce glares our way. One whips a tail out and clenches my thigh, and I collapse, pulling Shi down with me. Shi's eyes widen, and he slashes at the Bunniv's face. Blood sprays out along with some other fluid.

He whips his blade across them once more, and I can't tell whose blood is whose. All I can see is chaos: red walls, red claws, a dizzying twist as we slide down the tunnel's slope—

Moist fur presses against my face, the smell of rotting wounds and vomit pulsating into the only thing I recognize.

—fangs—

The scene steadies as the bunnivs turn their attention away from me and to my cousin. We stop tumbling, our bodies so deathly close to a plummet. Uncountable bunnivs grab at Shi's clothing, pulling him down into a mass of grey.

"S-Shi—!"

His mantra echoes in my ears.

I don't even think he's the one saying it.

I tighten my grip on his hand, which desperately clings to mine as his legs dangle above that hole, that hole with even more bunnivs awaiting him down below. Mayni leaps forward and grabs both of us, and Xanath stabs his driver into the hoard. As they begin to scatter away, he wraps his arms around Mayni's waist and yanks all three of us forward. Shi wails. The five of us are back to sprinting for our lives. Running past more creatures, running past spiders' webs and mildewing stone.

Then Anactro stumbles to a halt; we stop just short of hitting him. Shi releases my hand, and I turn to face him. A blood-soaked, clawed face stares back. Gorged lines of red run down his legs. His eyes look haunted as he glances around himself, and with a whimper, he grabs at a nasty wound on his arm. He looks as if he's about to throw up—though based on the stains on his tunic, he already has.

"Shi!"

Mayni screams—making all of us jump—and cocoons him in a hug. Her arms tremble around him. "Why, why, why did you have to be attacked," she says, sobbing. "You didn't deserve…"

"I-I'll be fine," he replies, though his voice says anything but.

Anactro wipes at his eyes, breathes in, then out. Then he looks ahead of us. A gaping hole marks the center of the large, silk-coated room, a beam of light illuminating the cavern in its entirety.

I gape my mouth at the sight, and my chest floods green. " _It's the Heavenly Window_ ," I say.

"Gorgeous, but deadly, like the rest of this place," Xanath says.

Mayni shifts in her embrace around Shi. "But it's pretty…" she says.

"I know, but we have to be careful, we can't let those creatures see us…" Anactro's voice burns with worry. His eyes never leave the gogols in the distance. "If we run, we might be able to evade all of them."

"But they could be faster than us, and Shi's in no state _to_ run," Xanath replies pointedly. "Here, get on my back…"

Nodding, his face dead, Shi climbs up onto his shoulders and clings to Xanath.

"Besides, if we fall into that hole, we're right back at the Spring of Grief," I say, "and then we'd be stuck at Colony 9."

"It might be better," Mayni mumbles. She darts her gaze up to me. "What? Shi needs medical help—" Shi's legs twitch, and he whines something out. Xanath grunts as he adjusts my cousin's position. "—and we can just figure out a way to cross Vilia Lake there."

"We could," Anactro replies with a shrug. He keeps watching the giant monsters, then, "Go, go!"

"What?!" she and Xanath cry out.

" _Run_!"

His hand darts out and locks around my wrist, and Mayni grabs my arm as we sprint forward. The gogols, turned away, don't notice us at first. Xanath pants to keep up, but he does so much easier than I expected; perhaps it's due to Linada's alterations of his body, but it seems he's faster than I am—for being just as obsolete.

The gogol whips around, and Mayni shrieks. I push my knees to the maximum and surpass Anactro. I keep hold on them even tighter, I can't let them lag behind!

Arachno lie ahead of us, and I let loose a curse word, knowing I cannot stop. They twitch and begin scuttling our way.

"No, no, run, keep running!" I say. They begin to follow us, their legs scrambling into a distorted tangle of limbs. The cave tunnel system gets thinner until it's difficult for all of us to be side by side. As Xanath dips right behind me, I catch a glimpse of Shi's shock-wide eyes. Xanath lets out a grunt and keeps up his pace.

The echoes of the arachno drop off, fade, and finally end for good. Panting, we stumble down a steep ledge and glance down that corridor—no arachno. Mayni helps Xanath and Shi down.

Anactro's breathing shakes ahead of me. He fights for breath. "W-we're through, we're through, look!"

At his excited shout, I glance to where he is pointing—below us stands Vilia Lake.

All that distance, for something so close to where we once were.

"We're out!"

Mayni squeals and leaps up and down. She almost loses her balance, but Xanath grabs her before she could. She flashes him a smile.

"I can't believe we…made it…" I say. Then I laugh.

The others join in, even Shi a little. Xanath lets him down, and he slumps before coughing and straightening his back. "I…lost my dagger back there…" he manages out.

"It's fine, we'll make you a new one," Mayni replies. I bite back a snort, then stutter out my agreement.

"Let's keep going," Anactro says, starting forward. Mayni loops her arm around Shi's waist.

Xanath falls into step with me and narrows his eyes. I frown when he doesn't say anything, however.

We make it through the narrow passageway and climb down into the room that looks too much like a nest to be a comfort to me. At the torn hole in the wall of webbing and the faded smell of bile, I pause and glance into it. Anactro stops and looks at me. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just making sure it was safe."

"Good!" Mayni blurts out, striding forward with Shi in toe. Anactro giggles and follows her, and Xanath actually utters my snort as he walks past me.

The cave up ahead gets lighter, and cool, fresh air blows through the tunnel. I inhale, and I wasn't the only one to do so. The nighttime sky, dotted with thousands of stars, comes into view, and we practically sprint out of Tephra Cave to reach it.


	13. One's Self Decays

**I've been working on some edits to the prior chapters. They're officially up in place of the originals, so if you want to check them out, feel free. There is some extra information and moments that weren't there before, as well as some prose and grammar repairs. I hope you like them.**

 _Xanath pauses as he spies his friend creeping from the schoolhouse, as if trying to avoid being seen. With a smirk, the teenager, dodging fellow students and his instructor, bounds after him. "Hey! Hey, where are you going?"_

 _The boy_ _ahead of him_ _, just a year younger,_ _pivots where he stands. Then he cracks a little grin. "And here I was, hoping that you wouldn't see me." Shrugging, he nods his head in the direction of the Military District. "I have extra training, I can't be late. Otherwise ol' Square-'tashe will kill me," he says with a grunt. The teenager's legs still burned from yesterday's exercises; well, come to think of it, probably last_ week's _exercises as well._

 _Xanath laughs. "Whatever, Jan. I didn't know you signed up for that."_

 _"_ _You know my dream. This'll just help me on the way to defending the colony. I wish you'd take your training more seriously."_

 _"_ _But what about my dream? I didn't do the extra training because I don't have the time! I thought we were going to get to the Bionis' Leg and keep looking for my parents."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry, Xan—," Jan begins._

 _"_ _Come on! You promised!"_

 _"_ _Xanath, it's a hopeless search, I'm done trying to find them! It's wasting my time," Jan says. The teenager backs away a little._

 _Their instructor heads over to the two. "What's the matter that can't be settled tomorrow?"_

 _"_ _M-Mister Dionysis…" Xanath looks away. Tears sting his eyes, but he swallows down his bitterness. He can't let anyone see him break from this waiting game. "It's nothing. Just a solemn swear." His eyes flick up to Jan's face as a glare forms. Jan lowers his head and presses his lips together._

 _The man, barely cresting his thirties, sighs at the two teenagers. "Jan has obligations, Xanath. So do you. Aren't you supposed to be training as well?"_

 _"_ _Yes, but—!"_

 _"_ _Let the Defense Force soldiers look for your family. Don't worry, they're very capable."_

 _Jan snorts. "Maybe if Vancanth's family doesn't take over his post. His son is already dictating the district, and he's not even twelve yet! I'd hate to see what_ his _son would be like!"_

 _Dionysis chortles, then firms up again. "I know you're worried," he says to Xanath, "but your parents are hardened explorers. They'll make their way back to us."_

 _"_ _But what if they don't?" His voice trembles. "What if they never come back? It's been months!"_

 _"_ _Then I wouldn't suggest seeking them out! Xanath, you're still so young, you can't risk going outside of the colony."_

 _Jan glances pointedly in Xanath's direction. Xanath only scowls and stalks off. "So what! If I find them, then those risks will be worth it," he mutters to himself._

* * *

I blink and sigh as I shake my head free of exhaustion. I can't say I understand all of my memories—some feel more vivid than others, some—specifically my own—are hazy and listless. A part of me isn't exactly a fan of that. Another part of me is glad I can't remember my past.

But Xanath's…I don't…like his past.

Inside, I can feel Brodei's buzz of chatter. _W-wait, how old is Xanath?_

"Old enough," I mutter in reply. I glance over to Mayni's fire before growling in distain. The smell of the meat they're cooking is starting to really irritate me.

 _Come on, Sung._

"Fine, 67. Are you happy now, Brodei?"

He doesn't reply.

Xanath's huddled form draws my attention as he stretches by the campfire. He gestures into it, and Mayni shakes her head, laughing. It echoes in the silence of Gaur Plains. The only noises aside from us is coming from the spring of water behind us, flanked on either side by a hilled path. It makes sounds in the breeze. Lapping waves, sloshing liquid. I suppose some could fall asleep to it—I know that Anactro has.

I twitch my mouth at his small body pressed against mine as I sit in the niche of one of the sloped sides, away from the campfire enough to where I can just feel its heat on my toes. I guess he didn't want to stay up late listening to Shi's attempts at ghost stories: Mayni's suggestion to keep his mind off the pain.

"The fire creature leaped!" Shi shouts out. He starts to stand, but grimaces and remains on the ground. He keeps his head ducked before breathing in hard and focusing on his friends again.

Xanath cries, "Not the fire creature!"

Mayni screams in delight.

I roll my eyes. Whining slightly, like a baby Brog away from its parents, Anactro pushes his shoulder into my chest as he collapses into my lap, and I grit my teeth when I feel the metal plate start to burn. "Enough, Anactro," I hiss. He doesn't hear me; he's too wrapped up in his dreams.

Dreams. Brodei's dream to reach my home has always perplexed me, but if he wants to do this silly quest, so be it. If it gets me to my new home, then that's all fine with me. I only…hope that he wants to keep going.

And I _know_ you can hear me, Brodei.

 _Fine, I was trying to keep quiet._

What, so you could hear me think?

 _Er—_

I laugh bitterly, and Mayni glances behind her before Xanath touches her arm and taps his temple, then his chest. Her shoulders hunch as she cocks her head, but then she nods and lets out a tiny "ohhh."

"Yeah," he replies.

I wonder if he's telling her that I'm insane.

With a scowl, I look away from the group, huddled still around the little fire. By now, Shi has fallen silent in his tale and has curled up in his spot. At first, I think he just fell asleep—

—until I see the pus gathering the light from the fire and flaming the wound on his swollen arm a scarlet color.

The green glow collapses from my chest, and before I know it, I'm on my feet and running.

"Shi!"

"Huh?" Mayni looks up. Her exhausted face twists in confusion. "What's wrong, Sung?"

"Brodei!" Anactro moans, pushing himself up. He whimpers and cringes as he stands. The nightmare pounding in his eyes dies away. "Are you okay?"

I drop to the ground and rub Shi's shoulder. "Come on, Shi, wake up!" I say. His ribcage jerks up, then down, but he doesn't open his eyes. " _Shi_!"

"Shi?!" Mayni rushes over to us and Xanath follows closely behind, choosing instead to run through the raging fire instead of walking around it.

He exhales, slaps his calf, then waves his hand as he winces. "What's wrong with Shi?" he asks.

Anactro is suddenly by my side. He goes to touch his cousin, then recoils away. "Something doesn't smell right," he says.

My chest buzzes in terror as Xanath tugs off a glove with his teeth, then leans down to press his fingertips against Shi's forehead. He yips and pulls his bony hand back. "He's just as hot as my legs are."

 _He has an infection!_

What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!

 _How should I know?!_ Sung screams back.

My breath hitches. "Do you know how to cure an infection?" I ask Xanath, my tone bordering on a whimper.

"N-no!"

We all turn to Mayni. She blinks, then presses her lips together in that way my parents did when they were determined about something. "There's something that I have learned over years of fending for myself. You know what that is, Brodei, Anactro, Sung, Xanath?"

Looking away, Xanath bites his lip, and Anactro begins to ponder. Then he shakes his head, and our new friend shrugs.

"We need to find an adult," she deadpans.

"Colony 6 is just ahead!" Anactro gasps.

"No—," I try to say.

Xanath nods eagerly. "That'll be perfect, if we just go there!"

"Come on, grab Shi!" my brother says.

I can only step back as they struggle to lift my cousin. Mayni grunts as she helps out. A feeling of helplessness floods my body, and I begin to shake, whether from my adrenaline or fear, I don't know anymore. "G-guys—"

"Brodei, help out!" Anactro says. Shi chokes something out and twitches, then pulls his bad arm in close to him as he begins shivering.

I feel tears come to my eyes before I even realize I'm crying. They all stop. Xanath grits his teeth. "What are you doing, Brodei? We don't have time—"

Mayni grabs my hands. "What's wrong?" she asks.

All I can picture is Shi dying as we stare up at the crushed remains of Colony 6.

"We can't go to Colony 6," I say.

The group says nothing save for Shi shrieking out at nothing in particular. Anactro murmurs something and tries to make him comfortable.

"Why?" Xanath asks in a chipped voice.

"Because it's not there anymore, that's why! The Mechon smashed it!" My voice trembles. "It's gone, Xanath."

His eyes widen as he steps back. "Wha— Y-you're saying—"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying! That's where I was when I got made into a Mechon, they attacked the colony!"

 _They're called Core Units._

Mayni whips her head toward me, her eyes widening. Then she presses her lips together and furrows her brows—her look of determination, though I'm not sure over what.

Sung, silent after his snap, lets loose a shattered titter in my head. _We're screwed, aren't we?_

From Shi's side, Anactro begins to cry. His hands shake as he moves a stray strand of hair from his cousin's sweat-soaked face. "No, no, I can't lose you too…"

Mayni shoves us all aside and plants her hands onto her hips. "Okay, where are the survivors?" she asks.

I only stare at her, then I stutter. "I-I don't know."

"Well, there has to be survivors, not everyone would have been eaten, Colony 9 was okay, we lived!" Mayni says, gesturing at each of us boys but for Xanath. He looks away.

"But we had the Monado," Anactro says to her.

Mayni falters a bit. "T-there has'ta be survivors, anyway! We are Homs, we are strong! We're better than those scary machines." She nods, and we all nod along, not really believing what she's saying—then again, that could just be me.

 _Be thankful you have someone like that in your group, Brodei. Something tells me we'd all be lost without her,_ Sung says with a snorting—and borderline psychotic—laugh.

Let me guess, you're dumbly nodding along as well?

 _Indubitably._

What?

He continues giggling, and that just doesn't sound right with him.

"Where would they be, though?" Xanath asks, pacing back and forth through the fire. She goes to speak, but stops and can only point to the peeling paint and white-hot glow of his legs. "Oh, it's nothing, they're prosthetics. Like Brodei." His tone turns distracted.

"What would be the best place for them to take shelter in?" Anactro looks up to our friend. She pauses, ponders over this, then slowly starts to rock her head back and forth. Back and forth. "Like, a grove, a—"

"A cave," she says.

Xanath groans in tandem with me. "Not another cave." As he strides out from the licking flames, the grass scalds and blisters beneath his feet.

He goes forward, but Mayni whips around and points a finger at his ankles. "Nuh-uh. Wait until you're cooled off before comin' near me, hot-legs."

The boy smirks at that and adjusts his posture, putting all his weight onto one side. I raise an eyebrow at him. "She's mine," I mouth. Xanath, in reply, merely pushes his black and grey hair back, as if trying to look suave or something. The light from the fire shows the numerous silver strands lacing through the dark hair color—and I realize just how _old_ it makes him look.

Why did his hair grey like that when he still looks our age?

"Anyways," Mayni continues, "they'd find a cave. Something cool to keep the sun off, but something hidden to keep the scary creatures away. Like with me~!" Then she hesitates. "Er, well, after a while I befriended them, they were still there, but whatever!"

I laugh at her snippety self-correction. "So we have to find a cave?"

Anactro glances at me. "Another cave?"

"It'll be fine, nothing's like Tephra!" she says.

Rubbing his jaw, Xanath stutters, "N-nothing's like Tephra?"

"Everything's like Tephra…" Shi moans. "The Monado's…curse…"

We fall silent.

"Shi?" Anactro asks. "You alright? Why're you talkin' about the Monado?"

As I feel a sickening lurch in my chest as it floods green, Xanath jumps and stumbles into Mayni, who screams as his legs brush up against hers. She scrambles away from him, sprawled on the grass. "S-sorry!"

"No more fires for you!"

"If it hurts you, I won't!"

I smile and fold my arms as I watch Shi's unsteady breathing. Anactro goes back to doting on his cousin, muttering frets to himself as he does so. Mayni tugs on my arm, and my smile fades. "Why are you happy, Sung, Shi's gonna die," she says. "Do you know where the survivors are?"

"Nope," I snort. "But I do know some things, um, do you have the time—?"

"No, we need to help Shi!"

"I-I know that." I hold up my hands. "But what he said is very important." My voice shivers.

"You're so insensitive," Xanath mutters.

Frustration wells up in me. Before I could retort _something_ back, Mayni snaps, "Enough! Let's go, we don't have time to fight. Anact, Xani, Sung, grab Shi!"

"Okay!" the three of us blurt out.

"But, _Mayni_ …" I flit in closer to her before moving to Shi's legs and lifting.

"Fine, but when I know Shi's alright." She looks close to tears. She stiffens her shoulders, presses her lips together, and inhales deeply.

I nod, and Mayni smiles. "It'll be alright. I've seen worse."

"Really?"

"Mm-hm," I reply absentmindedly. _Oh, have I seen worse._

But I don't want her to know that.

An image of Samuel comes to mind, and I only grimace as I lock Shi's legs around my waist. From his head, Anactro, despite his lanky appearance, holds his cousin up by the armpits without falter. "It'll be okay, Shi," he whispers. Xanath, from Shi's side, locks eyes with me, and I nod in reply.

 _"_ _Let me go, you can't have me the way you had the others! Sung, I won't let you do this!"_

I don't want anyone to know that.

* * *

As we walk in the darkness of the grassy plains, Xanath is the first to speak. "Um, how did you get past that door, you know, the one that's always been closed in Mag Mell?"

His question is so erratic it makes me stumble. "What made you think of that?" I ask.

"We always just used a driver to pry that door open," Anactro replies. "We're used to it. Mayni liked living down there, so we'd visit a lot and play in the caves when we got bored."

Mayni grins as she looks up from the piece of meat in her hands.

"And then we'd use the driver to defend ourselves," I add with a short laugh. "But this time the door was open."

"I remember it," Xanath says, his voice quiet and solemn. "I used my knife to get past it."

Me and my brother pause and look at each other, and when Xanath doesn't say anything else, I try to force the conversation along. "When?"

"When I was a Homs. I don't really remember anything else after that 'cept for a few missions Egil sent me on."

By my side, Mayni frowns. "Is that because of your armor?" she asks. "And who's Egil?"

"No." Xanath, with a furrow of his brow, presses his lips together and taps his head. "Linada told me that I hit my head before I fell Asleep."

Something in what he said sends a chill down my spine. "When you fell Asleep?"

"She said that Vanea put me and Sung into a stasis after he crashed Nemesis."

" _It wasn't me who crashed Face Nemesis_!" Sung snaps through me. I slam a palm over my mouth and practically drop Shi. "S-sorry, Xanath—"

He grits his teeth, and Anactro shouts something out and tries to get between us. "That's what she said, that's what she said when she took me to Linada!" Xanath repeats. Mayni grabs his arm, and he looks down at her as if about to cry. "I'm sorry, Mayni, I'm just tired, I haven't been able to get a good nights' sleep for weeks."

"You haven't?"

"Why—" I go to finish, but Anactro shushes us all. "What is it?"

My brother continues to keep his hand in the air. "There's something in the distance. Something's not right, stay quiet."

 _I can't believe you four are actually braving the Bionis' Leg at night._

Why not? If we wait 'till morning, Shi may die.

 _Will he? Or will all of you and he die?_

His accusation makes me hesitate. Then I firm up—I'm shocked I actually considered it.

 _No. If we die, we die as one. I don't want to be returned to the Bionis without my friends_ , I mentally reply.

Sung remains silent. If anything, I feel a calculating aura come from him, but I'm not quite sure why. However much I'm curious, though, quite frankly, I'm not quite in the mood to ask him about it.

And then, in a curt tone, he says, _That's dumb._

I clench my jaw and glance up at Anactro. "What are they?" I hiss.

"Volffs, I think," he answers back. His eyes flicker up to a giant stone building of sorts, then he exhales. "Let's go into the trees, get away from their line of sight."

Mayni nods, and Xanath does the opposite.

"Why?"

"I don't feel right about that." His voice is halting.

"But if Anactro says we should do this, we probably should, he's had Defense Force training. He knows what to do," I say.

An angry look darkens Xanath's face, but he bites his lip and says nothing. I feel Sung laugh inside of me, and my cheeks flush with humiliation despite not knowing what I've done wrong. His cackle sounds cruel and belittling, like the man's laugh in that nightmare I always have nowadays.

 _"_ _You are but a miserable relic in a world that has moved on without you. What was your name,_ Sung _? Hahaha! I re—"_

Sung's interest seems piqued now. _Oh? You have those dreams too?_

 _Why not?_ I reply bitterly. _I have everything else that's yours._

He only continues that chilling chortle. _Not everything, Brodei._

"Brodei—!" I whip around as Anactro stumbles back and whimpers. Growls fill the air in a discordant hum. "Brodei, what happened, how did they see us?"

" _Because Brodei has a messed up body, that's how!_ " I snarl. Grabbing the driver off of my back, I glance at Mayni. "Take Shi and find a place to hide! I know you want to help, but we can't leave him without someone!"

She gapes her mouth, inhales, and takes my place at Shi's feet. "You better bring Brodei back in one piece!" she warns.

"I know."

Xanath glances at me as he pulls out his own driver, and a dark look flashes in his eyes. "When those Bunnivs attacked in the cave, they didn't hurt you, they only hurt Shi."

I'm suddenly being shoved. Red eyes whip around to face me.

"Go and distract them, Sung, me and Anact will find help!" he says. Footsteps crunch on the grass as his words grow fainter. "Come on! We gotta get moving."

My breathing shudders in my throat. Gaur Plains grow eerily silent around me as they all leave.

As I blink, the red eyes wink into darkness, only to return even brighter than before.

Alright, Brodei, what do I do?

Brodei doesn't answer.

My breathing hitches now.

"Come on, Brodei!" I scream, whatever words I say shaking as I force them out.

 _You're actually scared, Sung?_ He sounds surprised.

 _Wh-what are you doing, stop it, Sam— Let me—!_

 _"_ _I can handle a few Volffs without you."_

 _But you were just repaired._

 _"_ _Does it look like I care?"_

"So what, maybe I am," I say. "Fine, yes, maybe I am, now can we work together for _once_?!" The abrupt twist of our consciousnesses shifting comes faster than I can expect it, and I feel Brodei right next to me—but not all at the same time. " _You never wanted to work together before._ "

I've never gotten used to two souls working in tandem. It creeps me out.

" _What's your plan, then?_ " he asks. "Synchronize our movements," I reply. My eyes dart into the black of the forest, where growling rises in pitch. "If we can fight as one, we'll be twice as strong— _But you'll take over!_ " I have to take a breath as he cuts me off mid-sentence. "No. No, I won't."

Brodei pauses at the genuineness in my tone, only to cry out. I whip my head up from the ground as a shadow leaps up into the air. Before I know it, we're leaping out of the way as one and shrieking as one. My driver slips out of my hand and goes flying. Heavy paws dig into the dirt by my face, and a maw whips down close enough to where I can smell its last meal—and taste it, too. Hot saliva drips into my eye.

I lay there shivering. My eye burns, but I force my arm to remain by my side, much to Brodei's discomfort. I glance up into the Volff's crimson stare. " _Wha…what are you…_ " Brodei says. He yips as it begins to lick me, and I shout and stumble to my feet, grabbing a stick off the ground in one fluid motion. "Brodei, what kind of freaky hormones are in your body?!" I brandish the wood in the direction of the Volff. " _I don't know, what are hormones?!_ "

The Volff cocks its head before sitting down. The others all emerge from the forest now, and they join the first one in the clearing. The green dies in my chest.

"Sun—" I bluster out an exhale of frustration. I can just feel Sung curled up inside of me. As I glance around, I see the silhouettes of my friends in the moonlight. One peeks out behind a natural bridge arching over a river, and as the reflections of the light on the water cast ripples on his prosthetic leg, I know immediately that it's Anactro. "S-stay there!" I say.

"But I want to help," he replies. His voice echoes across the empty plains. "We can't look for any more Homs without running into the Volffs."

"No, you can't, you're gonna get hurt!"

"I don't care!"

 _"_ _Does it look like I care?"_

A shudder rips through my body.

" _No_!" I raise my voice louder this time. "Stay there and protect Shi and Mayni!"

"Okay." His voice dips low enough to where I can barely hear it, and his form disappears back behind the land bridge. I can hear Xanath arguing, though I can't make out his words.

 _Try to lure them away._ Sung's voice shakes in my ear. _Get them far away from here, make them focus on something else._

"Like what?" I ask.

 _Don't ask me_ , he replies.

With a sigh, I roll my eyes and slowly approach the first Volff, the one who sat down before the others did. It dips its head down with a whine before lunging. I choke out a scream and stumble backward, and it follows. Something hot and sticky hits my face—but there's no pain.

I open one eye. The Volff won't stop nudging my cheek with its muzzle, and the more it does so, the more the others get excited.

 _Oh Zanza, they're going to attack as a pack._

A clawed paw steps on my chest and makes me grunt in pain. Sung shouts something out, and I'm no longer in control of my own body as he rolls me to the side. The Volff growls, and I mutter something sharp to Sung: "You promised."

 _It hurt, okay?!_

I ignore his protests as I sit up and try and calm it down. It yips and burrows its maw into my face again, and before I know it, it's right on top of me, and we're tumbling down the slope in the ground toward the other Volffs. It begins licking my nose and mouth with a sort of energy that's only rivaled by Mayni when she's set about something. I begin laughing.

It's playing.

"Hey, Brod _eiii_!"

My muscles freeze, and every pair of red eyes whip to face Xanath, standing a few meters away with his driver in hand.

"What are you— Xanath, get away! No!" I make it to my feet and run ahead of the pack. My arms go out in front of Xanath, and the creatures encroach with a lethargic pace that's mocking. "No, he's my friend, leave him be! What are you doing?!" I turn to hiss at Xanath, and he stammers. "Never mind, help me lure them away from here, get them way over there—" My finger points to the far end of the tree line along the rock. "—so we can take shelter in the forest!"

"And how do you propose we do that?"

"That meat you guys made—"

"That was Mayni, she wanted to try ponio neck meat."

"Yeah, that meat, do you have any left?" I ask.

He pauses. "Yeah. Mayni still has some, um, hang on— _Mayni_! _Mayni_!"

Xanath sprints back under the bridge, and Mayni's head pokes out. She says something indistinct before he rushes over to me again. The Volffs grow more agitated.

"You have it?!"

"Yeah, 'cept she ate most of it!"

"Just, just give it to me!"

"Fine, take it! It's gross."

He hands the slimy meat off to me, and I wave it in the air. The creatures snort as they jerk up and follow its trail. I take one glance at Xanath, who nods and goes back to the group—then I run.

Every single Volff follows me like a rabid pack, and as I reach the end of the tree line, I whip the piece of meat away from me and cringe as they flood past. The land grows silent save for ecstatic howls from the creatures, and I don't even look back.

"Mayni, Anact, Xan, run, get going, make it to the trees!" I say, grabbing my driver as I pass it by in the grass. I hear Anactro's desperate voice, and within a span of seconds, everyone is coming out of hiding. Shi jerks in Xanath's arms. As Mayni brushes past me, she grabs my hand, and we don't stop until we break out of the forest and into a small, secluded clearing.

My chest pumps, and I wheeze and try to catch my breath. Anactro coughs. The only things I hear through my ringing ears are our gasps.

"Did we do it?" my brother asks.

"We did it!" He cries out in surprise and nearly loses his balance as Mayni tackles him. "We did it, we did it! See, not as bad as Tephra!" she says.

"N-not as bad as Tephra," Anactro repeats, though it's more for her sake than the truth.

"See, we're all safe!" I say to Xanath, who only scowls. Mayni cocks her head and looks toward me, but doesn't say anything. My gaze goes to Shi. "How is he?"

I head over to Xanath, who cradles my cousin against his chest. He frowns. "I don't know, he keeps muttering about a Monado. What's a Monado?"

We fall silent. I feel a smirk twist my features before my chest even floods Sung's trademarked ether-green. " _Once we settle in for the night, we'll talk._ "

He furrows his brow and looks as if he's about to retort something back, but Mayni's caterwauls stop us both. "Looky, looky, Brodei! Look! I told you, see, I told you there would be survivors!" She trips as she hurries down the hill, but she regains her footing and keeps going. At the bottom, Anactro waves his arms and chortles.

As we follow, Shi murmurs, "The Monado's…pain…"


	14. His Defenses Gone

_"_ _You are but a miserable relic in a world that has moved on without you. What was your name,_ Sung _? Hahaha! I re—"_

"N-no!"

I jolt awake. My chest heaves as I gasp—I feel winded for some reason. Save for a few glances my way, no one in the cave is surprised by my exclamation of panic. I exhale and close my eyes before glancing around me. Mayni, Anactro, and Xanath lay on the spare blankets that were set out for us when we arrived at the Refugee Camp; while Mayni and Anactro sleep as if they're dead to everything, Xanath lies staring at the cave ceiling.

"Even the visitors are having nightmares," an older man says.

I sit up and grunt as my head feels like a spike is stabbed through it. "Sorry, Xanath, did I wake you up?" I ask.

"No," he says back. "I've been awake for a…long time."

"Because of Shi?"

He sighs. "No."

His vagueness combined with my headache gets me annoyed, but there's not much I can do about either, so I pull the blanket up to my face and just lay there. I listen to the murmurs of the other people in the camp—some are worried about supplies, two discuss some story of sorts, and several children clamber outside. Everything sounds muted here. It's as if the cave dampens every noise and makes the depressing mood even more sad. I try not to eavesdrop, but as Shi likes joking, to huddle under a blanket is the perfect strategic point.

My heart drops. I wonder how he's doing. The camp medic said that it would be a rough night for him.

I sit back up and sigh. Xanath catches my motion and sits up as well. "You're worried about him." His tone is dull and tired.

"Yeah," I reply. "Aren't you?"

"Of course I am. It's just… I'm used to… Oh…"

"What?"

Olga approaches us and smiles warmly; she's the medic who took Shi into a side room last night. "How did you four sleep?" she asks. As she speaks, Mayni and Anactro stir.

Xanath only grunts. Mayni, with a stretch, grins. "Like back at home!"

"Yeah, you'd say that, Mayni…" my brother mutters. "I feel like I slept on a Krabble."

The woman laughs. "Come on, we have some herbs steeping. I have a feeling you kids have some story."

"Olga, you have no idea," I mutter.

* * *

As we walk to a table in the camp, Olga suddenly pulls me in a hug, and I gasp in surprise. "I'm so thankful you're alright, Brodei!"

I close my eyes. A sweet, flowery smell like Dawn Hydrangeas hits my noise, but it's nostalgic of the day I lived with her after I ran away from home. "Yeah. Me too."

"I was so scared, I thought you—… I saw you get snatched by the Mechon, Brodei, I can't believe you're alright!"

"Brodei?" Anactro asks, leaning on his cane. "You know miss, um…"

Olga releases me after what feels like an eternal embrace. Still holding my shoulder, she replies, "I'm so sorry I never introduced myself last night. My name is Olga. I'm the chemist of our camp, but since Sharla's been away with the other visitors, I double as the medic, too."

"I figured out that much," Xanath says. "How'd you know Brodei? You guys more adventurous than I thought…?"

"We've been to Colony 6… Well, me and Brodei. But we never really met Olga before," Anactro says. Then he giggles. "Did you do some exploring when we stayed with Auntie?"

"No! I stayed with Olga when I ran away from home. I was really hungry and tired, and some traders in Tephra Cave took me to their colony. That was when the…Mechon attacked Colony 6."

Xanath stares at me. "So that was a year ago, right? I remember 'cause when Linada helped me get back on my feet, there was a guy in the village that mentioned some Mechon attacks on the colonies. He said there was this big battle on the Mechonis' sword, and that they were gonna fall back to Colony 6 when he fell off the sword."

"Goodness!" Olga says.

 _Hold up, Mumkhar and Xord and the other one, they weren't making that up? You mean to tell me_ , Sung says, _that that battle at Sword Valley actually happened?_

I raise my eyebrows at the floor.

My friend immediately gets a panicked look on his face. "He was alright."

"Is that where you got your armor?" She reaches over to touch Xanath's shoulder. He gapes his mouth as if realizing how we look. "You as well, Brodei?"

Before I could respond, my fellow Core Unit replies, "Yeah. They took good care of us there."

Mayni gives Xanath the same look I'm giving him. He's such a good liar—like it comes naturally!

"Well, children, the tea is ready, and I think it's time to talk." She guides us to some seats around the table.

I sigh and glance at my brother and my friends. Anactro's mouth furrows as he meets my gaze. "She's not really saying anything about Shi. Is that good?" he asks.

"I don't know," I murmur.

Footsteps make us look up, and Olga smiles at me before passing me a cup curling with stream. I take it gratefully—it's warm in my real hand. As Mayni and Anactro drink their teas, I feel embarrassed as I merely hold it; Xanath does the same, though he holds the cup to his face and grins as the steam rises to his nose.

"It's so warm. I haven't had anything like this in years."

"It smells really nice, too," I say in an attempt at not making her feel bad.

"Now drink up, you four look like you've been through a Volff den!"

"Actually…" Anactro starts. He then groans and drops his head to the table we sit around.

Olga's kind smile fades. "Is that where your friend's injuries came from?"

"No," Xanath hastily says. "Tephra Cave."

Mayni says, "But we ran into some Volffs! Brodei fed them my meat to make them go away!"

"You did run into Volffs?!"

I nod and mimic what Xanath did with his tea. It really does feel warm. "Yeah. It was when we were trying to find your camp because of Shi's infection." As I say it, our story sounds more and more ludicrous. My cheeks flush red. "It's true."

Olga looks baffled as she looks to each of us in turn. "I'm used to tall tales from Nikita and the other children. But you four don't have the obvious symptoms of trying to get away with something." She winks. We all relax, and Mayni giggles. The woman's gentle voice is homey—it reminds me of Désirée, actually. I like Désirée; she's talkative, but between her and her dad, they could entertain you for hours when you were bored. I remember that we were always welcome at their house that was above her dad's blacksmith shop. Honestly, I wish I could have gone to see them before we left Colony 9—

 _"_ _Finally, number one awakens!" Xord says with a dynamic laugh._

Oh.

"What were you five doing, traveling to here all by yourselves?" Olga asks as she sits down next to us. I shake my head and exhale forcefully, not that that helped clear my head.

We're silent before Xanath replies, "We're gonna see my mum."

Anactro glances at him, then to me in confusion. Mayni seems confused, too. As Olga takes this in, she says, "You sure about that? It seems your friends have other ideas."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot, you never really heard me call her that before." He snorts a laugh. "Linada, remember? I told you about her in the cave."

"Oh yeah!" I exclaim.

Xanath doesn't say anything more as he visibly fights for what words to say. Anactro jumps in. "We need to tell her about what happened to Colony 9!"

"Colony 9 was destroyed," Mayni says, her voice whisper-like.

"I know," Olga replies in that same tone, her hands squeezing Mayni's.

" _We would have sent her a letter or a radio transmission, but everything's been down_ ," Sung says tautly before going to crawl back into his hole again. I groan a little.

"Will Shi be okay?" Mayni asks.

The woman gives Mayni kind smile. "He'll make a wonderful recovery. But that's up to him."

Up to him?

Olga stands and pats me on the back, and I jerk in surprise as a muted, echoic metal sound rings out. Based on Olga's furrowed look as she removes her hand from me, she's not quite believing our story anymore. She's a medic; she probably never believed it in the first place.

"Well, feel free to stay here as long as you need to. And don't worry about your dear friend! He's in capable hands!" With a smile, Olga walks behind a makeshift curtain. Anactro glances over toward the section of the cave behind it, and if we're quiet enough, we can hear Shi groaning.

We remain silent for a while, just listening, before Mayni says, "I think I'm gonna talk to some of the other kids. Maybe I can get them to spill where Shulk and Reyn went!"

She hops up with enthusiasm and hums her way out of the cave.

I glance at my brother. "What're you gonna do?"

"Probably talk to Gordon. I bet he has war stories! I bet I can get him to tell me about Shulk and Reyn faster than Mayni, too! I bet they were the visitors Olga talked about!" Cackling, he begins to peek around for Gordon, only to get frustrated and talk to a far younger man instead—probably asking about where his target is. The man says something I can't make out before he grins and tells him something; based on Anactro's enthusiasm, he's found a replacement storyteller.

Xanath purses his lips. "I'm gonna go see if Olga needs anything." As he stands, he pauses, eyebrows darting down in worry. "Have you heard from Sung today?"

"Apart from the last few minutes? No. Why?" The disgust in my voice is obvious.

He cracks a smirk. "Just curious."

* * *

For some reason, Sung has yet to peep a word to me today—he just keeps murmuring words I can't make out. Maybe it's a mantra, like he's still anxious from the nightmare. I know he's had it for longer, based on what I was hearing in Tephra Cave. But something just seems so…off.

I may hate my heartmate, but it feels weird without him, either. I'm screwing myself over, aren't I?

I exhale. _Sung? You in there still muttering to yourself?_

Sung only grunts. I take that as a yes.

 _Shi's gonna be all right. You probably don't care, but…_

 _No_ , came his short reply. _I care._

 _Funny way of showing it._

 _No, I—_

I blink as he stammers silent.

 _I do care. But if you'll excuse me, I was a bit preoccupied, so I would prefer you don't make me feel badly for it._

I grimace, but before I could apologize, it's as if Sung waved me off. The words falter from my head.

 _What's with your nightmares, Sung?_

 _How do you mean?_

 _What's with them?_ I ask, more firm this time. _They're more like memory fragments than dreams._

 _They are memory fragments. And they are dreams. Most dreams are comprised of memories, Brodei,_ he patronizes.

Rolling my eyes, I turn to Xanath, who's busy tapping a stick against a rock. A small niche dips down at the bottom of the rock. "What are you doing?"

"Nikita told me there's a Skeeter nest hidden in here. I'm trying to get them out so I can get the thick nectar Olga wants for Shi. She says it'll help him recover."

"How so?"

"It has a bunch of…amino acids and stuff. I don't know, I was never a medic."

"Oh."

"If I just…play my cards right… I'll jump 'em before they can jump me! Shove the stick into the hole? Not a chance, Nikita. Not a chance…"

From a distance, I can hear Nikita laughing with a girl and a small nopon. They all seem to be about our age.

I slump my shoulders. How are they so happy?

"They don't know Shi, Brodei," Xanath says, as if he's reading my thoughts. "To them, he's just a stranger. People don't care about strangers."

"But you were a stranger," I say.

"Technically, not really. Sung knew me, so you knew me."

"Yeah."

Nikita's laughter grows more uncontainable. I hear little snippets of their conversation. "…had some thick nectar on me from Satata! The look on his face…still pounding on that rock!"

Xanath seems to have heard, too.

His head jerks up, and his eyes widen before narrowing. He throws the stick down and stalks over to the three. "Hey, Nikita!"

The boy grins. "Yeah?"

"You like hazing travelers, right?" There's a barb to his voice that sounds strange.

"Um?" Nikita stares in confusion. "Yeah, yeah!"

"Tell you what. Vancanth used to have this done on us in the Defense Force when we were new."

Vancanth? Who's—?

 _"_ _Maybe if Vancanth's family doesn't take over his post. His son is already dictating the district, and he's not even twelve yet! I'd hate to see what_ his _son would be like!"_

My eyes go large as Sung clears his throat. Xanath's memory. From…fifty years ago.

Oh Bionis, what's he gonna do?

"He used to make us run the colony until our triceps exploded!" While sounding totally ridiculous, Xanath says this with the voice of conviction.

The girl cries out while her friend snorts. Only, there's a look of terror in his face he's trying desperately to hide. I grin and fold my arms.

"Come on, you maggots! Get your backs into it! Move it!" Xanath booms. "Get me that thick nectar, Nikita, or else I'll have your _hide for dinner_!"

Nikita screams and begins to fumble through his pockets. "Okay, okay! I-I have five with me, that good enough?!"

"Yeah, sure."

Nikita shoves the drawstring pouches of nectar at him before running off with his friends. With a roaring laugh, Xanath heads back into the cave.

 _Does someone perhaps sneak dessert when he's not supposed to…?_ Sung says.

I gasp out laughter and double over. "Not anymore!"

 _Hey, Brodei? We need to talk._

 _What? Talk?_

 _About the Monado. Don't you remember?_

 _Yeah, I guess. Sorry,_ I manage, _The past few hours have been chaos, you should know that._

 _Yes, but you promised._

I don't understand why he's so worked up.

 _Fine, okay, I'll go and find the others!_

 _Thank you._

I stare at the rock Xanath was beating, though I'm not really looking at it. Sung, saying "thank you"? This must really be bad if he's being courteous.

 _Curt, courteous, curious. This is the time for courteous._

 _Right._

* * *

As I head back into the cave, I bump into Anactro, who seems all wired up. "Hey, Brodei, that guy there has a bunch of cool stories!"

"Oh, neat. Do'ya know where the others are?"

"Ummm… Mayni's with that girl in the pink… Xanath's over with Shi and Olga… How about if I get Mayni, you get Xanath?"

"Alright. Sounds good."

While the words fall from my mouth, my heart falls from my chest.

I'd claim he's picking the easier task, but maybe this is what I need to ease my worry, anyway.

I peak through the curtain separating the medic station from the rest of the camp. "Xanath?"

"Over here," he calls.

With a frown, I brush aside the rough curtain and step into the cavern. I see Olga bustling with some chemicals, and based on the fact she never looked up at me when I entered—and my footsteps are like a Mechon waking—she has to be totally zoned out. Small electric ether crystals glow in the corners of the room and at the side of every blanket laid on the ground. There's only one blanket occupied, and just seeing Shi's trembling body underneath a blanket makes my chest feel tight.

Xanath looks up at my footsteps and smiles. "Hey."

"Hey," I reply. "How's Shi?"

"Better. Olga says that he should be up on his feet in a couple of days. Are you doing okay?" he asks me.

"I'm fine, but Sung says that he needs to talk to us."

"It's about what he was all excited about last night, isn't it?"

"Geez, you remember that?"

"How could I forget?" His eyes narrow as he mutters, "I hated his smile."

I'm not sure how to reply to that. In fact, it makes me feel really awkward.

"Alright, fine. I'll head what he has to say about the Monado." He climbs to his feet and stretches. "Can't exactly do anything here, anyway."

* * *

Anactro and Mayni wait at the table we sat around at earlier. Mayni kicks her legs out while humming, and Anactro won't stop fiddling with the straps on his prosthetic.

" _Anact_ ," I call.

His face lifts up in a beam, only for it to fall like a rockslide. "Hey, Sung."

By Mayni's expression, she seems bothered by something, but she doesn't say anything. I tug on Xanath's arm before he could sit with her. "We should talk elsewhere."

"Why?" Xanath retorts.

I clench my mouth. "If you still remembered everything, you would not be asking that."

Xanath's smirk returns. "I could if _someone_ didn't cause it."

 _This is even more awkward now._

" _I told you_ , that was not my fault, it was _you_ who—!"

"Guys, shut up!" Anactro shouts. We both stare at him. "Seriously, just, just talk about the Monado!"

"Okay!" we reply simultaneously. We stare at each other again as Xanath snarls under his breath.

Mayni pats his back before reaching over and patting my shoulder. I flinch away. "Are you okay, Sung?"

"No. I am tense, and if someone will just let me speak!"

"I'm letting you talk." Xanath holds his hands up, then goes to stand.

"What are you doing, now you're walking away!"

The boy laughs. "I love seeing you flustered. We were supposed to go elsewhere to talk. Remember? 'Too dangerous' and all that."

" _Right_!" I force out. Mayni snorts out a laugh as we pile into the sunlight. "What about a little up that hill there?" I point up to the left of where we stand, and without saying a word, Anactro is the first to limp up to the trees.

He really has adapted well with his leg.

 _Yeah, he has._

He grins as we gather at the shaded location. A strange man wearing a black hat mills around the area, but upon seeing us, he glances away and walks off.

I narrow my eyes but try to ignore him. "Remember how last night Shi was muttering about the Monado's curse and the Monado's pain?"

"How could I forget?" Mayni mumbles. I glance over at her. "You kinda made it a big deal, Sung."

"Well, it is very important."

"That's what you said."

I'm silent at her weary tone. "I don't believe you slept as soundly as you looked," I say decisively.

 _Sung, she just rolled her eyes at you! You are blowing my chances with Mayni right now!_

"So this Shulk, he studied the Monado, correct?"

Anactro nods. "Shi sometimes shadowed him, but Shulk couldn't figure out much, to be honest. But he could use it! I saw him with Reyn, he was defending the colony, he was so cool!"

"He could use it?" I ask.

Confused, Anactro cocks his head. "Yeah. Come to think of it, only Dunban was able to before his arm got messed up."

"It was the Monado, wasn't it?" My breath gets caught in my throat as I finish the sentence. "The Monado destroyed his arm."

"Y-yeah. How'd you know that?"

"The Monado won't permit anyone to use it other than its master. The Monado can only be manipulated so far before it bites back."

Xanath's mouth trembles as he shifts his position on the grass.

"The Monado was once wielded by the Bionis itself. The…same Bionis who haunts my nightmares."

"You—Brodei—woke up with one this morning," Xanath says. "You claim the Bionis talks to you?"

"Whoa! How's that scary, that'd be really awesome, imagine the Bionis visiting you in a dream!" Mayni says.

Xanath laughs while gasping out, "He'd crush Sung, he's in such a small body this time around!"

"No! No, have you listened to anything I said?! The Bionis is bad!"

They're all silent.

"Wait, what?" Shaking his head, Anactro rubs his false leg. "But, no, the Mechon attacked our colony, the Mechonis is bad!"

Mayni ducks down and wipes at her eyes as Xanath suddenly shouts. "Egil isn't evil, he's trying to help!"

"Who is Egil?!"

"The self-proclaimed leader of Mechonis," I murmur.

"How is he helping if he hurt us?!" Mayni says, beginning to cry. Anactro reaches over to hug her. "He killed your mummy and daddy and Fiora, and if Dunban didn't have to fight that stupid war, he wouldn't have lost his arm!"

"That wasn't Egil's fault, that was the Monado!"

"No one who hurts others is a good person!" she screams to my face.

I stumble back, then harden. "Then what about the Bionis?! My father was killed for it! Most of my people were killed for it! And you tell me the Bionis is _good_?"

"Well—" Mayni finally finds her voice again. "Your colony died trying to protect the Bionis?"

"It wasn't so much a colony as it was just my home. But I lost that, and Egil and his sister took me in when I lost everyone else." In so many ways.

Anactro speaks up. "Xanath, you said you worked for Egil."

"Yeah. He was protective of everyone he loved. But he wasn't…you know, fully good, but… I'm only sorry I can't remember all of what happened. Maybe then I could clear up some confusion."

"What's confusing about it?" I ask. "The Bionis is bad. The Mechonis is good. End of the story!"

 _Why are you so defensive about this?_

"Yeah, but what does the Bionis have to do with the Monado's curse and all that?"

The way Xanath mockingly says this sets my teeth on edge. "The titans were once inhabited by souls. The gods of our world. The Bionis' soul used the Monado to possess any body he saw fit to use for himself."

My fellow Core Unit jerks up like an electrical shock ran through him.

"Wait, so you mean Dunban is being controlled by the Bionis?" Anactro's voice squeaks out.

"As I said, the Monado can only be manipulated so far before it bites back. It destroyed his arm, that doesn't sound like the Bionis wanted him to use its sword, don't you think? But Shulk was able to use the Monado, too."

"Yeah, like he's used it his whole life." His face pales. "Come on, the Bionis wouldn't want Shulk. No offense to him, but he's an engineer, he's really weak, how could…" He shakes his head. "It's not Shulk."

"Brodei's told me that Shulk isn't one for revenge, yet he goes off on some fool's errand to eradicate the Mechonis?"

"I…"

"How about I just put this simply? The Bionis is about to awaken, and Shulk is the catalyst." I sit back and let Brodei take the controls.

 _Have fun, Brodei._


	15. To Be Renewed or Returned

**Shameless plug alert: I've started a Tumblr. Find me at "eagleflamefanfiction" (for fanfiction art, fandom memes, et cetera) and "xenobladehistorian" (for theories and facts).**

 **I'm so sorry for the major delay with getting this chapter out. Rest assured, I haven't lost interest in the story. :)**

* * *

I sigh as I sit down against the cave wall. Xanath's voice echoes a little in the room to my right, and Mayni laughs in reply.

Anactro limps into the cave and smiles at me as he eases down by my side. Water drips from his clothes and hair, and the smell of the rain outside lingers on him. "Why aren't you going in?" he asks, pointing to the blanket covering the cavern doorway. "Is something wrong?"

I pull my knees closer to my chest. "It's nothing."

"No, really. What's wrong?" He leans against me. "Look, you can tell me. It sounds like he knows, like, everything, so he'll hear it whether you tell it to me or not."

There's a long moment of silence. Sung laughs in my ears and makes some comment about how Anactro's going to judge me for what "we're" thinking.

 _It's not me, it's just you, stupid._

 _Is it?_

I sniff and bury my head into his shoulder. "Sung won't stop screaming at me."

Anactro pauses in thought. "Maybe being with Shi right now will shut him up or distract him."

With a bitter laugh, I reply, "It's about Shi."

"Oh." His voice goes thin. "What about him is getting Sung all riled up?" But now his tone has gotten stiffer—and my heart sinks.

 _But if I tell him— I know he doesn't want to hear it. Not really._

Sung remains silent, but he makes this heavy, exhausted sigh. _I thought he was stronger than he actually was. Maybe Colony 9 is the best place for him._

"I don't know. He won't say." I close my eyes in an attempt to make Anactro not question it any more. "Anactro, I'm scared. About what he told us, but, um…"

 _He's weak, don't deny it. I should have gotten that from when that Bunniv attacked him in the colony, and he froze. I knew we couldn't trust your friends to help us._

I grimace.

Anactro is silent before he asks, "It's about Shi himself, isn't it?" I nod. "Look, Brodei…" He sighs. "Yeah, Shi's gonna be different. Olga said that it could take a while for him to get better in a, a different way. Reyn told me about it with the Defense Force before—some people experiencing something so freaky that they don't ever really heal." He looks down. A sigh rattles out from him. "I'm scared, too."

Mayni pushes past the curtain, and we both look up. She beams. "Shi's awake, you wanna see him?"

"Yes!" Anactro says, leaning on his cane as he gets up. I stand as well, exhale, and glance past the curtain. My heart jumps up with excitement—and terror at what could happen.

Olga kneels next to a boy shrouded in the shadows of the room. The only lights are from the little ether crystals scattered as I walk in with Anactro and Mayni. Xanath, leaning against the wall by Shi's side, glances up and curls his mouth into a smile. "Hey," he greets.

I wave a little and stop in front of Shi, who grimaces as Olga takes his hand and peels the bandages off of it. New bandages are by her feet in a bowl. Shi looks up at me—and a tired, but huge grin spreads across his face. "Hi, Brodei."

I can't help but grin back. As I sit down next to him on the ground, he brushes his blond hair out of his face with a shaky hand.

"How are you feeling?" I ask.

"Like I was hit by a Mechon, Brodei, how else do you think I feel?"

Xanath snorts a laugh.

"What happened, by the way?"

Anactro, approaching us, stops and gapes his mouth a little bit. "You mean you don't remember?"

Shi shrugs, which makes him wince. "Not particularly. Did I actually fight a Mechon?" He smiles. " I guess I'm not becoming one any time soon." His hand comes out to flick my armor.

"It was kind of stupid, so if you wanted, you could claim you fought a Mechon and lived to tell the tale," Xanath says. At Shi's expectant stare, he moves away from the wall and crouches down in front of him. "Remember we were in Tephra Cave, and you met me?"

Shi nods. "We were going through the Bone Corridor." He shudders. "Nasty place. I hate it."

Mayni giggles and sits down, too. "Yep."

"Okay…" My fellow Core Unit thinks for a second. "So we got jumped by a Vang at the end of the Bone Corridor, and when we ran away, a pack of Bunnivs grabbed you."

"What?!" he outcries. Despite the mood in the room being quiet and somber, I start laughing, and Mayni giggles a bit, too. Anactro glances at us and smiles, but I stop when Xanath gives me a frustrated glare. Shi manages out, "What—! I was almost killed by a bunch of dumb Bunnivs?!"

Olga moves up Shi's red, bloody arm with a roll of fresh bandages. "Shi, there's no shame in it. Tephra Cave has creatures that can be frightening and powerful."

"Yeah, Shi, it's all right to be beaten by Bunnivs!" Shi mocks to himself. "How stupid."

Smiling, Olga brushes back some of his hair, then pats his head. Shi scowls. "I'll be right outside in case you need anything, but I'll be back in an hour, all right?"

Shi nods. As soon as Olga leaves, my heart lurches, and I wince and double over. "You okay, Brodei?" he asks.

I glance over to him and remove my hand from my chest, pulsating green. When I see his frown, I look to Anactro, who seems sad. " _I'm fine._ " Are they upset that I didn't say anything? "Sorry. Olga's already suspicious with me and Xanath, I figured I shouldn't make things worse… How are you doing, Shi?"

Shi stares at me. "Why can't you just… What…" He looks up to Mayni. "Did he…" Then he shakes his head. "How long was I out?"

"Don't take it for what it is," Xanath deadpans.

I scowl. "Fine, I just figured I'd ask myself. You feel like you've been hit by a Mechon. I actually understand that one. Just because we're in the same body doesn't mean you have to treat us like the same person."

With an eye roll, Shi lets out a heavy sigh. "Whatever. When did I black out, and when did we make it to Colony 6?"

We all fall silent. Mayni rubs her boots as her small mouth furrows. "Um, we're not at Colony 6, Shi…" For once, all confidence has left her voice. "The Mechon attacked it like our home." She hesitates, and a cringe creeps across her features. "I'm scared for you, Shi."

Shi squeezes his eyes shut, then lets out a slow exhale. His hands tighten around the edge of the blanket he sits on. "Me, why?"

"We couldn't even get through Tephra Cave without almost losing someone, how can we get through the _entire Bionis_?" Anactro speaks up now. "I don't wanna abandon this, but I don't wanna lose my family—" He wipes at his eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about me." Shi's voice turns sharp. "We're going to save Brodei, that hasn't changed! Just 'cause I'm hurt doesn't mean we jeopardize him!"

 _Don't tell him, please…_ , Brodei pleads in my mind.

 _Why not? It'll make our quest a lot easier._

 _How will he even get back, idiot?! He's just gonna be stranded with the other refugees, is that it?!_

I pause in thought. _Then I'll test the waters. Is that suitable for you?_ I ask curtly. It's like Brodei rolls his eyes inside me, but he gets it, so I'm going for it.

"Actually, Shi, something has changed." As I speak up, the blond glances at me. "You know the Monado."

"Yeah," he replies with patronization. "What about it?"

"We still have to go to the Mechonis to save myself and Xanath, too," I say, gesturing to the other Core Unit. "Yes, that hasn't changed. But the Monado—"

Xanath cuts me off. I whip around toward him, and he smirks at me. "The Monado's the Bionis' sword, and the Bionis is using Shulk to resurrect itself. Bionis bad. Mechonis—I guess—," he adds hastily, "—is good."

"The Bionis began the war on the Mechonis. I'm not just saying this because I'm a Core Unit, I'm serious. If the Bionis resurrects, everyone is going to die, including me and Xanath and Brodei and all of you."

"So our goal's even bigger now," Anactro says, exhausted. "So climb the Bionis _and_ stop Shulk, who has the strongest sword I've ever seen."

Shi stares at me, then his cousin. "What? But that's not true." As I start to respond, he cuts me off. "Even if it is," he continues with a glare my direction, "they left days before us. They're older and stronger. They don't have two Core Units, a prosthetic leg, or stupid injuries—how can we ever expect to catch up to them? _Really_?"

I shrug, at a loss for words.

"Should we just go back?" Mayni's shaking voice makes all of us turn toward her. "I don't want to, I don't… But maybe we have someone else help Brodei and Xanath…? We couldn't even get through Tephra Cave. But I don't wanna… I don't wanna lose anyone…"

" _What_?" Brodei breaks past before I can stop him, and I shove him back down. "This isn't like you, Mayni."

Anactro, bothered, fingers a thin tarnished chain around his neck—whatever's at the end of the necklace is tucked into his tunic. "It's the lesser of the two evils, isn't it? Whether we go or stay, Brodei and Xanath can't come with us 'cause of the water in Tephra." He lets out a heavy sigh. "It just reminds me of what Vangarre always said— 'take the route with the least losses.'" At that name, Xanath raises an eyebrow, then smirks. He quickly wipes it away before Anactro could see it and get the wrong idea.

"But that means leaving Brodei and…" Shi looks to me and Xanath.

A heavy silence settles in the room.

I press my lips together. "If we had our Face units—then maybe we could go back and live a little longer or go on independently. I was so stupid when I left it in the Heavenly Window…," I add with a mutter.

"It's decided then, right?" Shi asks. A fire is in his tired eyes.

" _Wait, what's decided?_ " Brodei cuts in, panic edging his tone. While I don't care what they decide, Brodei's terror buzzing in me makes it clear that _he_ cares.

Shrugging, Shi replies, "We _can't_ go back, simple as that. Either they die alone or we all die together. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not go through Tephra Cave again, anyway." For a brief moment, melancholy darkens his weary face. "Sorry, Mum."

 _"_ _Expect every mission to be your last. Never lower your guard, or your mission truly will be your last."_

Egil's words echo in my ears. In a quiet mutter, I repeat them, then I sigh. "So it's settled—we go onward."

* * *

When Olga returns, we all stop talking and turn toward her. She smiles at us. Anactro returns it, then gestures back to the little dust drawing we made with the grime in the cave.

I still question the cleanliness of the medical area, but…

"So this could take us to Eryth Sea?" he asks.

I nod. "Yeah, so…" I trace my finger up the little Bionis drawing. "We're on the leg right now. If we keep moving, we'll get to Colony 6…" Brodei, watching from inside me, utters an agreement. "…then from there pass through Satorl Marsh and up to Makna Forest."

"Goodness, you're going quite a ways," Olga says, coming up to a surprised Shi to change his bandages.

"Uh? Yeah, my mum's really far away," Xanath replies.

"We're going past Makna Forest, too," Shi murmurs.

 _She may never see us again,_ Brodei realizes.

I nod slowly. _That's right._

Olga finishes re-bandaging Shi, then pats his head and stands back up. "You should get out a bit today and get some energy back in your step, honey," she says to him with a smile.

"Alright." He grunts and winces as he stretches. "Anact, give me your cane."

"What?" Anactro blurts out.

"Just for a little bit?" But Shi's tone instead says, "I made you your cane, I can borrow it, too."

Anactro awkwardly chuckles. "Um, okay?"

Smiling, Shi takes the cane his cousin hands him, then stands up with Olga and Mayni's help. When he's stable, Mayni releases him and helps Anactro up. "I think I'm gonna talk more to Ewan, you wanna come with me, Mayni?"

"Okay!" The two leave, and Xanath, with a mutter that his hair looks atrocious, follows behind them.

As Olga walks out of the room, she casts me an odd look, and I stiffen.

Shi locks eyes with me. "Hey, Sung. We need to talk, one on one."

"What about?"

He takes a glance my direction before sitting with a wince on a rock. "Take a guess."

Shrugging, I reply, "The Monado."

Shi scoffs, and I flash a glare his way. "Does everything revolve around the Monado for you?"

"I suppose if you knew what it could do, too, maybe you'd have more care for it."

"Oh, I have plenty of care for the Monado, but I can care less right now when we have to focus on getting Brodei help first. Don't be trying to shove in your travel plans to muck up ours."

"I only brought it up so we were aware of it, since I figured we could be encountering them, seeing how, I don't know, we're going the same route?" My voice drips with sarcasm. "What do you really want to talk to me about, Shi?"

"Look, if we're gonna go on some death mission with you, I'd rather I knew exactly what our traveling companion was." Shi's brow furrows. "Brodei compared you to a split personality or some 'Mechon soul' if I'm remembering _that_ right, but that's not it, is it? How would you and Xanath know each other if you're just a split personality?"

With a shrug, I reply, "He said _like_ one, he didn't say I was one."

"But that doesn't answer the question."

"Why are you so pushy about it, Shi? What's suddenly bringing this all up?" I say. "It wasn't your brush with death, was it? I don't recall it having the power of newfound skepticism—you've always had that, anyway."

Shi rolls his eyes and adjusts his sitting position at the table. "You're an idiot. I've been suspicious of you this whole time—just took me now to finally say something. I'd rather get my voice of reason out there before I haf'ta be returned."

"Honestly," I snort. "Well, if you think you're so smart, what do you think I am?"

With a pause, Shi pushes his fingers together and glances off at movement at the other side of the blanket separating the medical area from the rest of camp. A wariness tenses his body, but when the movement goes away, so does the wariness. His hand drifts to his shoulder, where he picks at a large scab. Then he grunts. "I don't know. I don't know what's making that glow, which means I…don't know what you are."

"I'm a soul. That's it." Shi's eyebrows rise up, but he says nothing, so I have no choice but to keep talking. Come to think of it, to most people, being "just a soul" isn't something they hear much, if at all. "I was transferred from Xanath's body to Brodei's using Mechonis technology, but I was once a person who was not dead."

He goes, "Well, that's putting it blunt." I laugh, which makes him crack a smile. "So, you used to be a Homs, I take, from what Brodei said back in Colony 9." I frown at that. "I suppose that makes sense if you're a soul, come to think of it… Did you die or something?"

"Yeah, you could say that…" I shift my shoulders. "It wasn't like what happened to you. Look, um… Your colony uses ether, right?"

"Yeah. I think all of them do—er, did."

"That's how I died." I knit my fingers together and try to ignore Shi's confused look. But when he opens his mouth, I know he's going to ask, so I don't bother hiding it anymore. "Ether in its raw state is an acid that eats you alive. Take it from me," I say with a weak chuckle, "it's a horrible way to go." I look over to Shi's disturbed face before I rap softly on the triangle on my chest. "See, Brodei I think feels the same way. Then again, his claim to fame is having his spine smashed in."

Shi's shocked look turns to horror as he covers his mouth and whispers something I can't hear into his hand. "Do you have to die to be turned into a—" He gestures to my body.

"No. At least, I don't believe so."

Shi sighs. "And here's me, mauled to death by Bunnivs."

I shrug. "I never thought we'd be comparing ways to die, but alright, I'll throw one more out there that ought to make you feel better. Xanath became a Core Unit during an attack, too, but the Mechon only grabbed him for convenience."

More movement behind the blanket makes both of us stop. The blanket then shuffles, and Xanath walks in. As we stare at him, he blinks and says, "Did I do something wrong?"

Shi shifts his bad shoulder. "We started to talk about you."

"Oh." His face scrunches with confusion. "It is my, um, nice-looking hair that I just washed, or are you going back to when you first met me, and I was like, way out of it? Because that's not a good first impression."

"Your death," I reply with a smile.

"How pleasant," he deadpans, sitting down by Shi.

"Sung says you got taken to the Mechonis when your colony was attacked." At Xanath's bewildered glances to us, he adds, "Sorry, we just got to talking…"

"Oh. Weird, but…" Xanath shifts his shoulders as he wrings out his dripping head of black and silver hair. "Yeah, it was when a colony—I dunno, Colony 4?—was destroyed, but I didn't live there. I wasn't actually a casualty of the attack, either. Trust me, death by killer Bunnivs is no shame, not when Upas jack you up with poison and leave you to die. I guess I was lucky the Mechon grabbed me as a freebie corpse."

"Right, I remember reading about Upas…" Shi goes off into mutters. "I wonder if there're any books here I could look at."

I tap the floor to get his attention back. "I don't think there are. Besides, if you're good to go, we have to leave soon."

Xanath exhales as he stretches. "I hate to agree with Sung, but we do have to go. I also hate to add to the depressing conversation, but I don't think we have enough time to stay here too long..." I glance over to Xanath and nod.

"Well, what about a few more days? Just a few?" Shi's tone strikes me as desperate—and I don't know why.

"Sorry," I say, shaking my head.

"But Olga has to take my stitches out in a week!"

 _Sung, he's my cousin, let me—_

" _Hey, we'll have Olga teach us how to remove them!_ " I say. Shi smiles a bit, but I don't think it's because of what I said, and it goes away really fast. "How does that sound?" I try to give him my most encouraging, happy beam.

He sighs. "It sounds fine, Brodei."


End file.
